当您访问一个网站时，该网站可能会获取您的一些基本信息，例如 IP 地址、您计算机上的操作系统、您使用的浏览器、您连接的ISP、您的位置、屏幕分辨率等数据。一些网站在您的计算机上存储登录 cookie，这样您就不必每次访问这些网站时都登录。但这还不是全部。当您在线浏览时，您会为网站和网络应用程序留下足够的提示来识别您。让我们看看互联网(Internet)上的个人身份信息是什么以及如何保护您的PII。
什么是个人身份信息(Information)( PII )
有助于识别特定个人的数据称为个人身份信息，简称PII。此类数据的示例包括社会安全号码、电话号码、送货地址和护照。这些数据与您已经通过设备和浏览器指纹从(device and browser fingerprinting)Internet收集的其他数据相结合，以创建关于您的数字文件，以便网站或任何其他实体可以在Internet上识别您。
所有这些信息都存储在在线营销人员和经纪人那里，他们将您的数据出售给希望向您展示相关广告并为您提供更好用户体验的不同公司。相同的数据也可以出售给可能以多种方式伤害您的网络犯罪分子。那么如何保护您的个人身份信息呢？是否可以？在某种程度上，你可以控制它。下一节将介绍如何保护您的PII。
如何保护个人(Personally)身份信息
在浏览器设置中，有一个选项说“不要跟踪(Do not track)”。勾选复选框或相应的单选按钮。它会阻止一些网站跟踪你。不过，并非所有网站都关注浏览器发送的请求。
如今，所有主流浏览器都可以选择阻止跟踪 cookie 在网络上跟踪您。Firefox、Chrome、Edge等主流浏览器具有不鼓励跟踪用户的功能。您也可以自定义保护级别。
在Microsoft Edge中，转到设置(Settings)并单击隐私和服务(Privacy and Services)。您将看到三个级别的跟踪保护。单击(Click)所需的跟踪预防级别。平衡(Balanced)很好，可以在不同的环境中工作。
在Mozilla Firefox中，转到首选项(Preferences)，然后单击以锁为图标的浏览器隐私。(Browser Privacy)您可以选择要使用的跟踪级别。它还允许您通过仅将您想要的网站列入白名单来创建用于跟踪保护的自定义规则。
您可以使用某些浏览器扩展来阻止网站跟踪您。一种这样的扩展是Privacy Badger。要与Microsoft Edge一起使用，您必须从 Chrome Store 安装它(install it from Chrome Store)。
阻止跟踪的另一个很好的扩展是Ghostery。它会告诉您网站上提供的所有跟踪辅助工具。然后，您可以决定允许和阻止哪些。
使用上述浏览器扩展和浏览器设置，您可以在一定程度上保护个人身份信息。以下是保护您的PII的其他一些方法。
互联网隐私提示
1] 为保护您的在线隐私，请勿在(Online Privacy)互联网(Internet)上分享您的个人信息。这包括您的SSN、银行帐号和相关密码。碰巧人们认为特定的社交网络是加密的，因此他们共享诸如PAN（永久帐号(Permanent Account Number)）、SSN甚至他们的物理地址之类的东西。我曾经看到一个人在Twitter 上(Twitter)分享他的实际地址，要求与其他用户打架。
2]您可以使用邮政信箱而(Box)不是共享您的地址。您可以通过向最近的邮局申请获得一份。因此，当您遇到实体询问您的实际地址时，您只需输入您的邮政信箱号码即可。(PO Box)
3] 您可以使用这些一次性电子邮件 ID 提供商(disposable email ID providers)之一访问需要您的网站。当您注册某些东西时，它们可以用于诸如一次性验证之类的事情。这有助于确保您的其他电子邮件ID(IDs)安全。同样，您可以从Google Voice获取语音电话号码以进行电话通话。更多关于谷歌语音(Google Voice) 在这里(here)。
4]您还可以要求搜索引擎删除(ask Search Engines to remove data)有关您的数据。如果您访问的网站使用Disqus 评论(Comments)，您可以单击“请勿出售(Do Not Sell)”选项以防止Disqus共享您的数据。
5]您可以使用某些工件(certain artifacts)，让您从跟踪您的不同公司的文件中删除自己。
这里有更多提示可以帮助您在浏览时保持在线安全并保护个人信息。(There are more tips here that will help you to Stay Safe Online & Protect Personal Information while Browsing.)
这解释了什么是个人身份信息以及如何保护您的PII不被登录到社交营销人员的数据库中。
What is Personally Identifiable Information (PII) & how to protect it online?
When you visit a website, the website will likely acquire some basiс informatіon about yoυ, such as IP address, the operating system on your computer, the browѕer yоu are υsing, the ISP you usеd to connect, yоur location, screen resolution, and simіlar dаtа. Some websites store login cookies on your computer so that you don’t have to log in each time you go to those websitеs. But it is not all. As you browse online, уou leаve enough hints for websites аnd web-apps to identify you. Let us see what perѕonally identifiable information on the Internet is and how to protect your PII.
What is Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
The data that aids in identifying a specific individual is called personally identifiable information, or PII for short. Examples of such data are social security numbers, phone numbers, shipping addresses, and passports. This data is combined with other data of yours which is already collected from the Internet via device and browser fingerprinting, to create a digital file about you so that the websites or any other entity can identify you on the Internet.
All this information is stored with online marketers and brokers who sell your data to different companies that want to show you relevant advertisements and provide you with better user experience. The same data can also be sold to cybercriminals who may harm you in several ways. So how do you protect your personally identifiable information? Is it possible? To some extent, you can control it. The next section explains how to protect your PII.
How to protect Personally Identifiable Information
In the browser settings, there is an option saying, “Do not track“. Tick the checkbox or the corresponding radio button. It will stop some websites from tracking you. Not all websites pay attention to the request sent by browser though.
All mainstream browsers nowadays have an option to prevent tracking cookies from following you on the web. Mainstream browsers like Firefox, Chrome, Edge come with features that discourage tracking of users. You can customize the level of protection too.
In Microsoft Edge, go to Settings and click on Privacy and Services. You will be presented with three levels of tracking protection. Click on the tracking prevention level you want. Balanced is good and works in different environments.
In Mozilla Firefox, go to Preferences and then click on Browser Privacy that has a lock as its icon. You can select which level of tracking to use. It also allows you to create custom rules for tracking protection by whitelisting only the websites you want.
You can use certain browser extensions that prevent websites from tracking you. One such extension is Privacy Badger. For use with Microsoft Edge, you will have to install it from Chrome Store.
Another good extension to block tracking is Ghostery. It tells you about what all tracking aids are present on a website. You can then decide which ones to allow and block.
Using the above-mentioned browser extensions and browser settings, you can protect personally identifiable information to some extent. The following are some other methods to protect your PII.
Tips for Privacy on the Internet
1] To protect your Online Privacy, do not share your personal information on the Internet. This includes your SSN, bank account numbers and related passwords. It happens that people think a particular social network is encrypted so they share things like PAN (Permanent Account Number), SSN, and even their physical address. I once saw a person sharing his physical address on Twitter, asking for a fight with some other user.
2] You can use a P.O. Box instead of sharing your address. You can get one by applying to the nearest post office. Thus, you can simply enter your PO Box number whenever you encounter entities asking for your physical address.
3] You can use one of these disposable email ID providers to websites that ask for you. They can be used for things like one-time verification when you sign up for something. This helps in keeping your other email IDs safe. Similarly, you can get a voice call number from Google Voice for phone calls. More about Google Voice here.
4] You can also ask Search Engines to remove data about you. If the site you are visiting employs Disqus Comments, you can click the “Do Not Sell” option to prevent Disqus from sharing your data.
5] You can use certain artifacts that allow you to remove yourself from the files of different companies that have been tracking you.
There are more tips here that will help you to Stay Safe Online & Protect Personal Information while Browsing.
This explains what personally identifiable information is and how to protect your PII from landing up on social marketers’ databases.
