Once upon a time not long ago, web users could shop, search for information and check their email without the slightest worry of still-emerging scares like “background checks” and “online identity theft.” Now, less than a decade later, only the most oblivious Internet surfers can claim to have complete confidence in the security of their personal information. Some online users think concern over this increasing level of openness as much ado about nothing, but those concerned about their Internet transparency have much more to worry about than even the most cyber-sensitive would expect. Protecting one’s privacy online demands more than simple common sense; it is a constant effort that often comes at the expense of convenience.

To those who still think websites keep their personal information private, here is a news alert Facebook will never give its users: a profile on the social networking website can reveal a person’s reading habits, airline purchases and other online activities and broadcast them to the entire Facebook community. Actually, the cross-website feature, called Beacon, gives users a much greater degree of privacy than many other websites because users must now opt in to use it.

Not so with Spokeo, a website that collects online information associated with a person’s email address and delivers it to a searcher’s fingertips almost instantly. Employers can use the website to easily scan a potential employee’s Myspace pictures, Amazon.com purchases, Google images, Blogger posts, LiveJournal entries and activity on a host of other websites without the user’s consent or even his knowledge. Regardless of whether users feel comfortable with this intrusion, Spokeo’s actions are effective and completely legal under U.S. law.

Short of confining one’s Internet activity to email with close friends, there are a few conscious yet simple efforts people can use to erase their online footprints in the Information Age. Keeping separate email addresses for personal correspondence and non-personal website accounts helps enormously and effectively makes a person anonymous to data mining outfits like Spokeo. Users can also keep their Internet browser from storing their information forever. By changing any browser’s “cookie” settings to erase the tidbits of information that a computer stores after browsing, a web user can prevent his information from ending up in the wrong hands.