What does online privacy mean today? To what extent are we at risk of identity theft and phishing scams and how can we protect ourselves against it?

The recent story regarding the stolen passport information of unsuspecting individuals in Dubai is a warning to everyone everywhere about data privacy and protection.

This brings a whole new meaning to the old saying about keeping your cards close to your chest and with technology frequently being light years ahead of the law, there is a major need to increase public awareness regarding online safety.  Recent campaigns such as ‘’zip it, block it, flag it,’ ‘click clever, click safe’ and the launch of the Digital Code are all primarily aimed at helping children to stay safe on the internet but adults can learn a lot from them too.

So much of our information is available online and a lot people don’t realise how easily their details can be accessed if they don’t correctly protect themselves. By not checking the security settings on networking sites like Facebook people put themselves immediately at risk of becoming a target for identity theft or even online predators. A lack of privacy on such sites means that personal details, location, contact numbers and even your personal photos can be viewed.

And it’s not just networking sites that place us at risk, intermittent errors or holes in online technologies can create major security breaches that hackers can easily identify and take advantage of. Sensitive information such as your financial details, mothers maiden name, home address and so on are all on various online databases and could potentially be at risk.

There are other methods of data storage and shared server systems like cloud computing that once well managed are a perfect way of combining software applications, data storage and computing power. Cloud computing gets its name from the idea that your computer applications run from or are stored in “a cloud,” meaning that they are not physically in your office but on a massive shared server elsewhere.

However, whilst this technology remains essential to the evolving IT landscape for both businesses and individuals, it can remove a degree of control from the users. In the wrong hands this type of a system means that insurance or registration details, even our medical records may not be secure.

When the internet wove its intricate web around the world it created a whole new breed of criminal, the cyber-criminal. These are people who, through phishing, phorming, hacking and scamming, will do their utmost to glean as much of your personal details as possible to use for their own gain.

Simple advice such as changing your passwords every three – six months, being aware of your online security settings and checking the small print on online subscriptions are just the start of some steps you can take.

Aberdeen-based Escape Business Technologies is an energy-focused provider of IT consultancy and infrastructure support to both UK and International companies. The firm employs a team of 35 engineers and consultants and predicts a turnover of £3 million for 2010.

Experts in all fields of IT including Business Continuity, Virtualisation and remote access solutions and security and monitoring services, Escape can support a company’s existing IT provision, or deliver a fully outsourced IT Package to suit your enterprises needs.