In today’s business world, we are nothing without our email. Now, we don’t even need to be sitting in our office to hear the ding of our inbox, alerting us that yet another message has arrived; we live in a time where smart phones are everywhere and we can have our email with us at all times. With all this new technology though, there has also come an onslaught of laws that are designed to keep email compliant with things like customer privacy, law enforcement investigations, and corporate governance. In short, the purposes of the laws are to make sure that email is being used, and managed, properly.

If you work for a doctor’s office, you certainly know about HIPAA. The two rules that affect email compliance are the Privacy Rule and the Security Rule. Of the two, the Security Rule is more in-depth and essentially mirrors the Privacy Rule; its purpose is to focus on information and security best practices and revolves around the security cornerstones of confidentiality, integrity, and availability. The Security Rule focuses on everything from workstation management of information to facility access and transmission security. It is vital that any information you send via email, not speak of the patient’s identity or the problem they are facing; many offices will use initials when speaking about patients via email.

In the financial industry, email compliance is governed by the Gramm-Leach-Bliley Act. Also known as GLBA, it is basically the same law as HIPAA, just for a different type of business. It is designed to ensure the privacy and security of non-public personal information as it relates to individuals financial information. GLBA’s rules apply to mortgage lenders, banks, stock firms and others of the like. Within GLBA, the financial company is charged with several things: to designate an employee or employees to coordinate the information security program, to identify reasonably foreseeable risks to non-public information, to make sure their suppliers are also using safeguards, and to monitor all of the above.

On top of these two rules, there are also others. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act, also known as SOX, is watched over by the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. This act was designed in response to the various, and highly publicized, bogus financial reporting in the early 2000s. SOX discusses what information may leave an organization and how long the industry should keep information on file; it requires that financial companies keep emails on file for six years. Likewise, the SEC Rule 17a-4 and NASD Rules 3010 and 3110 affect email communications within the financial industry.

This is just the tip of the iceberg. When it comes to email compliance, there are rules everywhere, and your business needs to know which apply to you and how to handle them. There are several ways to handle these issues, most of which include hiring at least some type of IT security firm to develop a total information security plan that will comply with recent, and future, government email regulations.

In a world where you can do virtually everything online, one has to wonder where all the information is going, and how it is being protected. High speed Internet access and devices like Blackberry’s give us constant access to the Internet, and therefore, the ability to exchange information via the World Wide Web. But with this convenience also comes a price.

Local and national news stations run stories frequently about hackers that have corrupted someone’s database leaving millions of facing the possibility of identity theft. How do you go about protecting your identity when you’re online? And, is it really safe to do business online?

#1- Install a firewall on your computer. A firewall is software that installs on your computer to prevent unauthorized access to your computer. Without a firewall in place, you become exposed to hackers while surfing the Internet or simply having your computer connected to the Internet. There are many available, both free and paid, stand-alone or part of a package.

#2 - Use anti-virus software to avoid contracting a virus which can monitor your computer habits. Remember, anti-virus software is usually an annual subscription, don’t let your subscription expire.

#3 - Don’t use the same password for all of your online accounts. It can seem tempting to keep them all the same just for the sake of simplicity, but if you do, and a hacker gains access to your desktop, you may find that they are able to also gain access to all of your personal accounts.

#4 - Use spam filters in your email. Most hosted email solutions now have anti-spam solutions. If they offer it, use it!

#5 - Avoid Email Scams. - Different than spam, email scams use social engineered methods to convince you to trust the sender. Often these scams talk about large sums of money that need to be deposited in your bank account. If you respond, you will begin emailing with a live person, maybe for months, that will work to gain your trust and then steal your money through gaining access to your bank account.

#6 - Don’t ever click links in emails from senders you do not know; this is one of the easiest ways for hackers to gain access to your information.

#7 - Make sure websites you visit are secure. These are easily distinguishable just by glancing at the toolbar on your browser. A URL that begins with ‘Https’ indicates a secured and encrypted site.

#8 - Beware of phishing. Phishing emails are those that look like emails from reputable sites like PayPal, eBay and even your bank, but are designed specifically to steal your identity. The hope is that you will read the email, panic at its information and click on a link within to verify your account details. The website you visit appears as being from the vendor and you are asked to enter your personal information to verify your account. Once you do this, you will find your account at a zero balance within days. One way to avoidphishing is to avoid clicking the embedded link in the email and instead type in the organizations official URL in your browser and login on the official page.

#9 - Watch out for misdirected urls. When you type in a misspelled URL, you can be redirected to a bogus website, although it looks authentic. Often you are asked tologin with your legitimate credentials, which are captured by the bogus site. Then you are often given an error notice that the site cannot process your request and to return at a later date. This buys time for the criminals to take your stolen credentials, visit the legitimate site, and drain your bank account.

Keeping your identity safe online takes work and persistence, but it’s worth it. The only certainty when dealing with identity theft is that the battle will never end. As the hackers become savvier, the solutions will become more high-tech and you will need to stay on top of what’s current. Common sense plays a large role in keeping you and your family safe from online identity thieves.

As a parent with a child that uses the Internet, you are inevitably going to be worried about what is going on in his or her cyberworld. So, how do you truly find out, without overstepping your boundaries? It’s a good question, and one that more and more parents are struggling with.

Things to know:

The largest group of viewers of Internet porn is children between ages 12 and 17

89% of sexual solicitations were made in either
chat rooms or Instant Messages.

One in five children who use computer chatrooms has been approached over the Internet by pedophiles.

More than 11 million teens regularly view porn online.

One solution to finding out what exactly is going on is to install a monitoring service. There are many available for use and some monitor website visits while others monitor instant messenger services. All can be installed and run in the background so your child won’t even know they’re being watched. Some would argue that this goes to far, while others say it’s a personal choice.

There are many parents who report using software that has enabled them to nip potential drug and alcohol problems in the bud. Others say that they’ve been able to steer their children clear of parties where inappropriate behavior will be involved. One of the most disturbing reports to date is a father who discovered, through the use of monitoring software, that his 13-year-old daughter was having a sexual relationship with her 37-year-old teacher.

But when does parenting become paranoia? And when do you begin to infringe on your children’s right to privacy? These are all important questions that parents face when delving in to their children’s online activities. Child psychologists indicate that, since it is your responsibility to protect your children, it is absolutely acceptable for you to use such software. However, you should discuss it first with your children and tell them that you will be checking up on them and also lay out very clear ground rules about being on the Internet and what’s acceptable.

If you choose to not go so far as monitoring software, do consider using a filter on your Internet connection. While this will not tell you where your children are going and who they are talking too, it will block objectionable material from popping up on their screen. Also, check your web browsers history to see what pages they’ve been looking at. If your 15-year-old visits a porn site once, don’t freak out; you’ll only alienate them. If, however, you see multiple visits, it’s time to have a serious conversation.

As your children get older, you will face even tougher questions surrounding their right to privacy and what you have a right to know. Finding a balance between keeping your child safe and ignoring the obvious is a tough job, but it is possible. Keep your computer in a location where it is easily seen by you; if you have a laptop in the house, be sure your children are using it in a central location. And remember, communication goes a long way toward finding out what is going on. Talk to your kids and encourage them to speak up if they encounter something online that makes them uncomfortable.

A chat room is a place online that essentially allows people to carry on a conversation, in a group, through typing. The minute you hit ‘enter,’ your message is seen by everyone that is logged in to the room. While these can be great places to find intriguing conversation, they also pose some very real risks, for both adults and children alike. When thinking Internet safety, it is also important to consider chat room safety for the whole family.

Before you begin chatting away, you and your family should keep a few things in mind. Since most chat rooms are open to anyone, there is usually no way to verify the identity of the person you’re talking with. And because the discussion is public, anything that is said can be read by everyone present, or copied and posted elsewhere. Most chat services do offer an option for a private chat. Although this can be great for adults, or for two children that are already friends, it can also be where perpetrators are lurking to have inappropriate conversations with unsuspecting children.

One way to keep your family safe in chat rooms is to restrict the use to paid-only services. Often, if someone with ulterior motives is required to enter a valid credit or debit card number, it discourages them from joining. In addition, mandatory identification verification can make it much easier for administrators and law enforcement officials to track abusers if necessary. Talk candidly with your family about smart chat room behavior, and in turn, listen to what they have to say.

When enrolling in a chat service, whether paid or free, choose a screen name that is not easily gender identified. Choosing a gender-neutral name can discourage perpetrators because they are unsure of who they are dealing with. Also, don’t list your age. If your chat service asks you to create a profile, only enter a minimal amount of information, and nothing that will indicate your age or gender. If you are in a chat room and you witness anything that you feel is not appropriate, report it immediately to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children’s CyberTip Line.

Avoid posting pictures of yourself and your family in chat sessions or online profiles. When someone asks what you are doing, do not divulge your daily routine to them. With ISP addresses widely available, it is easy for online perpetrators to learn your location; if they have your daily routine committed to memory it is easier for them to victimize you and your family.

Don’t open any links that you are given during a chat session. Most often, especially if you are chatting with friends you know very well, these links will lead to harmless YouTube videos. If you’re dealing with someone you just met though, you may be given a link to a pornographic website or a virus that will infect your computer.

Last but certainly not least, don’t forget to pay attention to instant messenger services as well; often, private chat sessions can spill over in to this more immediate form of communication. What’s worse, most cell phones now offer instant messenger through your standard cell phone agreement, and kids are savvy to that.

Overall, your family is relatively safe in Internet chat sites. Although the television would lead you to believe that there are millions of children being exploited due to chat rooms and social networking sites, the reality is, the percentage is very low. Be vigilant in monitoring what is going on inside your family computer, and keep open the lines of communication with your children. If you really listen to what they are saying, you will find that they give you great insight into their online lives. These bits of information can be used later on to start conversations with your family about chat room safety.