By Anthony L. Butler

Privacy has drastically changed over the last few decades as technology continues to advance rapidly. Everyday new news stories crop up reporting professionals fired from their jobs, students suspended from school, or individuals prosecuted for dubious activities on a social networking sites.

My Space, Facebook, and even LinkedIn are all susceptible to infiltration by prowling scammers and crooks, using these tools to take advantage of unsuspecting users. They are cyber-pick pockets and thieves of the future.

You can have fun online and stay safe at the same time. I am a huge proponent of best practices for these sites to keep you and loved ones safe. You just need to protect yourself and your reputation. Everyone does things (mostly when we are young and foolish) that are better left to ones private memory stores than splashed across a surface any future employees or father in law could read about. Some information just shouldn't be shared with the world.

On most of these site, personal information such as lists of a person's close friends and family, their age, and in many cases their hometown, business networks and all sorts of very personal information, like favorite foods and movies that can give the wrong people ammunition.

All anyone needs to know is the name and location of an individual to find them. The address and many times the phone number of nearly everyone in the United States are available through the white pages or for less than $10 access to their most recent utility bills with their address.

Some networks are starting to take security measures and allow users to limit who can view their information, but it is fairly easy for someone to gain access with a few easy underhanded tricks.

How can you protect yourself?

1. Never post anything you wouldn't want a future employer to know about you. The general rule of thumb is if it isn't something you would be proud to let your mother see then you probably should not post it. Err on the side of caution. When in doubt leave it out.

2. Keep your business and private social networks separate. Only invite people you know and trust. Keep in mind that not all strangers want to be your friend..

3. Limit your personnel network to close friends and family only. Never invite an outsider unless you can verify their identity and then still be cautious..

4. Never list your birth date, or place of birth in your profile. Identity thieves need only a few small pieces of your life puzzle to steal your identity or take ownership of bank accounts or other fraud related activities..

5. High risk individuals such as government officials, judges, and law enforcement personnel should avoid using social networks. The risk far outweighs the benefits. Soldiers and marines are already taught to destroy anything with a return address on it to keep them out of enemy hands and this idea must extend to their online life. Secrecy is a must..

Remember healthy doses of suspicion and caution will help protect you from many online scams. A bit of paranoia when it comes to your personnel network and life could save you money, embarrassment, and maybe even a career.