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12 Austin South Asian | May 2022 How To Protect Your Personally Identifiable Information

(Continued From Page 01) There are a lot of cyber cr Your personally identifiable information (also known as PII) should be kept as private as possible, especially when you are on the internet. There are a lot of cyber criminals out there, all waiting to find a way to hack into people’s computers and devices to steal valuable information that they can use to steal money or identities. What are some of the ways that you can work toward protecting your personally identifiable information on the internet? Check out the tips below to get started.

Remove Information That’s Easy To Find

While you might be doing everything possible to keep your information as secure as possible on your end, a people search website might be displaying that exact same information for anyone to access. Want to see what we’re referring to? Head over to Spokeo and do a search using your full name to see if any listings appear. You might discover that they’re allowing people to find your contact information and background details super easily. If that is the case, it’s time to take action by requesting the removal of that information through the Spokeo opt out page. Spokeo isn’t the only people search site out there, though. There’s also Intelius. So if they’re showcasing your personally identifiable information too, head to the Intelius opt out page. Yet another example, among many, that you should check is Radaris. Once again, if this site is displaying your information for all to see, it’s time to head to the Radaris opt out page for instructions on how to request removal.

Protect Your Computer From Viruses And Hackers

Another way to protect your personal information is by installing software that will help protect your computer against malware, viruses, ransomware, and cyber attacks. If you can keep hackers out effectively, and you know how to protect yourself by avoiding things like phishing scams, you can rest assured that you are doing something every day to keep your data secure. In addition to using software, there are other things that you can do daily to protect yourself. For example, make it a point to visit only secure websites that you trust, don’t click on links in emails unless you are absolutely sure that it is safe to do so, and use encryption, firewalls, and a VPN to further help prevent the theft of your data.

What Doctors Wish Patients Knew About The BA.2 Omicron Subvariant

(Continued From Page 01) The AMA’s What Doctors Wish Patients Knew™ series provides physicians with a platform to share what they want patients to understand about today’s health care headlines, especially throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. In this installment, AMA member Nancy Crum, MD, an infectious disease specialist at Avita Health System in Galion, Ohio, discusses what patients need to know about the BA.2 Omicron subvariant. Dr. Crum is also an alternate delegate in the AMA House of Delegates for the Infectious Diseases Society of America. BA.2 is a modified version of BA.1 “As we’ve hit year three of the pandemic, the virus … has mutated and changed over time,” said Dr. Crum. “The major variants are named according to the Greek alphabet—Alpha, Beta, Delta and now Omicron.”

“If it’s a more minor shift in the genetic sequencing, then it becomes a subvariant,” she said, noting that “Omicron BA.1 was the major variant that supplanted Delta and that happened over the winter months. is a modified version of the BA.1 that’s becoming the most prevalent in the United States,” Dr. Crum added. It’s more contagious, but not more severe “The concern is that even though our COVID-19 rates are super low right now—at least where I work—could this variant or the variant after this one take off and cause increasing numbers of cases, hospitalizations and deaths again?” said Dr. Crum. That’s because the BA.2 subvariant of Omicron is “more transmissible.”

Dr. Crum noted that most experts “say it’s 30% to 60% more transmissible, so it’s a risk—especially if it gets into a nonimmune population—to be able to skyrocket in terms of the number of cases. However, fortunately this variant is not more virulent in terms of causing more severe disease,” she said.

Other countries have seen outbreaks “People are really concerned because: one—yes, it’s here in the United States, and two—yes, it’s caused outbreaks in other countries. So what this is going to mean for us is really the big question,” Dr. Crum said. “Is it just going to be there at low levels causing a few cases or are we going to see an upsurge of cases over the next several weeks?

“And then the other question is, will we get yet another variant that’s going to supplant BA.2 that’s going to start up in the future and how impactful will these future variants be?” she added. “The concern is that people are discontinuing mask wearing, opening up venues and getting rid of a lot of the COVID-19 precautions, which may provide a foothold for this and future variants then to take off.”

Sore throat is a common symptom “We’ve been seeing a lot more of sore throat and pharyngitis that we didn’t really see before,” said Dr. Crum. Some of the other symptoms experienced are “very similar to the other coronaviruses such as febrile illness and respiratory symptoms.” “Patients can also have gastrointestinal symptoms such as diarrhea, and loss of taste or loss of smell, although I’ve seen that a lot less with the newer variants,” she said, noting that symptoms for BA.2 may also include muscle or body aches, headache, nausea or vomiting, and congestion. Turn On Two-Step Verification For Logging Into Your Accounts

This can help ensure that, even in the event that a hacker were able to figure out the password to your account, they wouldn’t be able to access it easily. With an extra step in the login process (such as having a security code sent to your cell phone as a text message), you can keep intruders out and protect your personal information.

The bottom line is this: protecting your personally identifiable information is important, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. In addition to only sharing these details with legitimate businesses you trust completely, following a few steps can help you keep your data from getting into the wrong hands. iminals out there, all waiting to find a way to hack into people’s computers and devices to steal valuable.

information that they can use to steal money or identities. What are some of the ways that you can work toward protecting your personally identifiable information on the internet? Check out the tips below to get started. Remove Information That’s Easy To Find

While you might be doing everything possible to keep your information as secure as possible on your end, a people search website might be displaying that exact same information for anyone to access. Want to see what we’re referring to? Head over to Spokeo and do a search using your full name to see if any listings appear. You might discover that they’re allowing people to find your contact information and background details super easily. If that is the case, it’s time to take action by requesting the removal of that information through the Spokeo opt out page. Spokeo isn’t the only people search site out there, though. There’s also Intelius. So if they’re showcasing your personally identifiable information too, head to the Intelius opt out page. Yet another example, among many, that you should check is Radaris.

Turn On Two-Step Verification For Logging Into Your Accounts

It should go without saying that you should only use strong passwords that are difficult to guess and filled with uppercase and lowercase letters, symbols, and numbers. But if you have the option of turning on two-step verification on any of your accounts, do so. This can help ensure that, even in the event that a hacker were able to figure out the password to your account, they wouldn’t be able to access it easily. With an extra step in the login process (such as having a security code sent to your cell phone as a text message), you can keep intruders out and protect your personal information. The bottom line is this: protecting your personally identifiable information is important, but it doesn’t have to be complicated. In addition to only sharing these details with legitimate businesses you trust completely, following a few steps can help you keep your data from getting into the wrong hands. (Courtesy: www. IndiaWest.com)