The hacking of Mark Zuckerberg’s little-used Twitter, LinkedIn and Pinterest accounts prompts this overlooked privacy and security tip: Close or deactivate any dormant or abandoned online accounts, especially any retail, social media and financial accounts.
- No longer have an account at a particular financial institution? Close your online account.
- Jumped ship from one travel site to another? Abandon the prior account.
- No longer frequent your shuttered Blockbuster store to rent a videocassette? Rewind your account.
- Don’t Skype? Skip it.
- Now too mature for Tiger Beat? Move on.
- Finally resigned to the fact you no longer frequent a teen-oriented clothing retailer? Give it up.
- Has your curiosity about Tinder, OkCupid, Coffee Meets Bagel, Hinge or Align worn off? Part ways with your profile.
While closing an old account won’t ensure your password data can’t be appropriated, it’s still a prudent practice.
Check out our series, Privacy Perils, to learn what steps you can take to guard your personal and company data. For more information about this topic and other cyber security concerns, please contact a member of our Privacy & Data Security team.