Many companies monitor their brands online. Individuals, too, could benefit from such an approach by using Google Alerts [1]. Users can type in personal information and receive an alert whenever this well-known search engine finds it online. Someone mentioned in a blog, for instance, may want to post a rapid response.

This site can help people protect their personal information by searching to see if their information is online where it shouldn’t be. To initiate the search, users can type in data such as their name, address, and telephone number.

It’s also possible to input your Social Security number, but that may not be wise. In an effort to add to your security, you may actually be making identity theft easier. Other aspects of the searching make more sense and carry less risk. Users who find that their information is where it doesn’t belong can contact the Web master and ask that it be removed.