In the wake of the US Senate grilling Mark Zuckerberg about the Cambridge Analytics scandal, and as we move ever so quickly towards the May 25th date when the EU will begin enforcing the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), it is easy to focus on the responsibilities online companies have for implementing what GDPR calls “Data Protection by Design and by Default.”

All that focus is good, but we should not forget the responsibilities each person has for making sure their own personal data is safe. In her blog post today, Emma Firth of digi.me proposes “10 ways to keep your personal data safe online.”

Please take a few minutes to read Emma’s commentary, but here are the ten points she recommends:

1. Be clear who can see what
2. Have strong passwords – and don’t reuse them or write them down
3. Take care not to post information that is often used as security questions 
4. Don’t fall for dodgy or so-called phishing emails
5. Be careful where you log-on – take care to disconnect from a session if using public computers
6. Make sure your home wifi is password-protected
7. Be wary about who you befriend online
8. Beware what pictures and status updates on social media tell a potential criminal about you
9. Be sensible and always have your wits about you

Thanks, Emma, for your insightful reminders.

And remember, in the words of Sergeant Phil Esterhaus (Michael Conrad) of Hill Street Blues fame …