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December 13, 2019

Day 12 of Holiday Privacy: Don’t Sign Up for Online Secret Santa

Posted by Rhiannon

The holiday season is one of giving … and one of privacy risks, both online and off. Many shoppers are willing to throw caution to the wind in order to get the best deals on the perfect gifts for their special someones. However, holiday shoppers can have their presents, and enjoy personal privacy too. Check back every day from now until Christmas for new tips on how to maintain your private life both online and off during the holidays.

Day 12 of Holiday Privacy: Don’t Sign Up for Online Secret Santa

Secret Santa is a fairly divisive holiday activity: you either love it, or hate it. Some people love it so much that they even sign up for online gift exchanges, where you join a group of strangers to send each other gifts. Some businesses also use an online site to match gifters and giftees (in place of using the “pull a paper from a hat” method).

However, both of these ideas can impact your privacy. This is most obvious for people signing up for Secret Santa with strangers from the internet. In order to send a gift and have a gift sent to you, you have to trust your address with a stranger, and also trust them not to send you something illegal or simply disgusting. Meanwhile, online Secret Santa generators for businesses or groups of friends typically require your email address and other personal information to sign up. You should check the privacy policy of each site, but you always run the risk that your information could be sold to third-parties or stolen in a breach due to weak security. 

Happy holidays, and we hope you liked our holiday privacy tips. Take a look back at all of them:

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Posted by Rhiannon

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