There are a number of practical ways for consumers to protect their personal information.

• Never give out personal information such as your name, address, and telephone number or social insurance number.
  
  
• Give marketers only the minimum amount of information necessary to complete a transaction.
  
  
• Don't automatically consent to the collection, use or storage of your personal information.
  
  
• Make sure that online forms are secure.
  
  
• Question why people want your personal information. Make it clear that you do not wish your information to be disclosed to any third party.
  
  
• Find and read the privacy policies of the Web sites you use.
  
  
• Never do business with any site that doesn't have a clearly stated privacy policy.
  
  
• Make sure that the file- and printer-sharing options on your computer are turned off.
  
  
• Use virus-scanning software, and make sure it's always up to date.
  
  
• Clear your memory cache after browsing.
  
  
• Get a separate account for personal email; encrypt your email messages; and use an anonymous re-mailer.
  
  
• Teach your kids that giving out personal information to strangers online is the same as giving it to "real-world" strangers - and just as inadvisable.
  
  
• Reject unnecessary cookies, and use anonymizers while browsing.