We at PrivacyHarbor.com are pleased to announce that we have just released the first edition of our quarterly newsletter.  In it, you will find the latest information about privacy, our PrivacyHarbor.com service and PrivacyHarbor, Inc.

We would love to hear what you think. Please let us know what you like, do not like, and what you would want to see us add next time. We read all comments, and our newsletter, like our service, is built upon your feedback.  If you wish to subscribe, please visit us at PrivacyHarbor.com and then enter your email in the newsletter subscription area of our homepage.

We also invite everyone to visit us at www.PrivacyHarbor.com today, and see how easy it is to send and receive private email. We are your advocate in protecting your Internet communications, and we encourage everyone to take back your privacy with PrivacyHarbor.com.

Over the past six months or so there has been a lot of positive buzz surrounding PrivacyHarbor.com and our private email platform. We are thrilled that tens of thousands of people have subscribed to our service over that short period of time and the feedback has been very positive. With this initial success comes a lot of responsibility, and we are busier than ever listening to your comments and suggestions in order to continually enhance our service.

Our company is all about providing private Internet communications for everyone. By saying “everyone,” we are indeed saying that consumers and small businesses finally have a viable solution for private and secure email. We, and our subscribers, believe that we have created a solution for private email that is easy to use and inexpensive. In fact, we even offer a free, private email account.

So the question remains, why did we build a product for consumers and small businesses where so many others focus on the large Fortune 500 companies? The answer is simple; we believe that privacy is a right, even on the Internet. Most people already expect privacy in all other forms of communications, but may not think it is possible on the Internet. Advertisers, hackers and identity thieves have used this popular assumption to their benefit over the years and, as a result, there are now major problems such as spam, identity theft and unwanted target advertising.

All the major corporations on the Internet, including Google, Yahoo and Facebook make the vast majority of their money through advertising.  Privacy simply gets in the way of their business model, which is based on exploiting user information in order to provide targeted advertisements. At PrivacyHarbor, we have a different business model. We make money the old fashion way, by respecting our subscribers and the people they are communicating with, and by providing a great service. We are in the privacy business – not the advertising business.

We encourage everyone to visit us on www.PrivacyHarbor.com today, try private email and let us know what you think. Our services are being built on your feedback. You now have an advocate to protect your Internet communications and we encourage everyone to take back their privacy with PrivacyHarbor.com.

The holiday season has arrived, which for many families means it’s time to pull out the seasonal food recipes, prepare for a visit from the in-laws, and keep an eye out for the biggest holiday discounts. But one important task often overlooked by families during this busy time of year is to create an online safety checklist.

Before you make your next online gift purchase or update your social media profile, make sure you are aware of the following safety tips, geared to help protect the privacy and security of you and your family:

Online Purchases –

• Never buy gifts from websites that do not have SSL encryption. If your web browser doesn’t display a lock icon at the bottom of the window when you visit a website, then that website may not secure your credit card information.
• Be sure to use and update existing firewall and anti-virus software to prevent website cookies, viruses and spyware from damaging your computer or exposing your personal files.
• There are a number of fake holiday e-card and song lyric websites, phony seasonal discount web pages, as well as various email scams that show up during the holidays. Make sure to research the legitimacy of each organization before making your purchase or donation. McAfee recently released an article covering the “12 Scams of Christmas” that offers additional advice on what to look out for online this holiday season.

Social Media Websites –

• It may be tempting to provide your friends and family with constant updates over Twitter and Facebook about your holiday activities and when you’ll be away on vacation; however, publicly posted personal information can help thieves determine the best methods to break into your online accounts or even your home.
• When updating your social media profiles for the holidays, it is a good idea to avoid posting potentially inappropriate or explicit photos that might hurt your chances of getting a new job or promotion (sometimes too much peppermint schnapps and a cell phone camera is not the best combination).
• Avoid clicking on shortened or masked URLs posted in social media status updates, blogs, forums and chat rooms, unless the post comes from a trusted source and is free from spam-related content.

Email Privacy –

• Never include private information such as passwords, social security numbers or credit card information in emails sent through common webmail providers. These emails often pass through several unsecure web servers, exposing your private information to hackers, spammers and identity thieves.
• When going on vacation, avoid setting up auto-rely email messages for your personal email account that might alert robbers that you are out of town.
• Avoid opening emails from any sender you don’t recognize, even if they appear to represent a legitimate organization. Many phishing schemes involve emails that ask you to “login” to your account to take part in a holiday offer or to verify sensitive account information.  In many cases, the links in these emails send you to a fake login page designed to steal your credit card number and personal information. If are unsure whether the email you received came from a legitimate representative, call the organization directly to confirm.

PrivacyHarbor.com provides a  private email service that prevents spam, scams, viruses and identity thieves from ever entering your inbox, which will help keep you and your family safe this holiday season. Purchase a PrivacyHarbor.com yearly or lifetime private email account through the month of December and we will donate 5 percent of your purchase to the Toys for Tots Foundation.

It’s that time of year when online purchases peak and many people are working with their financial advisers to review the past year and plan for the coming one. The Internet has become a convenient and standard tool for exchanging financial information, and email is now a staple in this online exchange of information. Unfortunately, email is routinely targeted by online scammers, hackers and identity thieves snooping for financial information.

Becoming aware of these online threats is the first step toward reducing your risks online. According to Identity Theft Fixes, each year approximately 10 million Americans become victims to identity theft. Of these individuals, an average of $1,800 to $14,000 is lost. Moreover, victims spend an average of 840 to 1,300 hours each year to resolve identity theft issues with their credit report and personal information.

Here are five steps you can take to help ensure your financial information is protected:

1) Keep security software active and up-to-date. Anti-virus, anti-spyware and firewall protection can only combat new threats if the software is current. Set your security software to update automatically, and periodically scan your computer for viruses and spyware.

2) Make sure your OS and Web browser are current. Operating system companies issue security patches to repair flaws in their systems. Set your operating system and Web browser to automatically download and install these critical security patches.

3) Use private email to protect your information. Common email is exposed to spam, identity theft, and phishing scams to name a few. Using a private email service like PrivacyHarbor.com to send private and secure email ensures that your information is kept safe.

4) Password-protect your financial information. If you keep financial information stored on an electronic device, be sure to password-protect the information in case of theft. Do not store the passwords in the laptop or device.

5) Back-up your information. When you have important financial information stored on your computer, be sure to store the information externally on a flash drive, removable disk or external hard drive.

Taking proactive steps to protect your financial information will ensure a safer online experience. Contact us to learn more about how PrivacyHarbor.com can help protect your personal information during this busy financial season and secure it throughout the new year.

August 2009 was a big month for us here at PrivacyHarbor.com and one that will not be forgotten anytime soon. Why you ask? Well, to start, we officially launched both our new website www.PrivacyHarbor.com and our new look and feel of our private email service. The response has been fantastic, and the number of new customers in search of true email privacy has been astounding. As a team, we’re thrilled to be able to help our customers achieve private email dialogue. That being said, it is important to us that PrivacyHarbor.com meets your email needs. We ask you to tell us what you want in a private email service by completing our new survey!

The survey will take approximately four to six minutes to complete (really, we timed it!). We want to provide you with an ideal user experience, and would appreciate your important feedback. To thank you for taking our survey, you’ll  receive three free months service to our Personal or Executive Account memberships.

All existing customers will get the survey as a link in an email that you will receive over the next couple of days. Part of the survey asks questions about how you would improve PrivacyHarbor.com email. As a result, if you are not currently a customer, you would need to register for and account and then the survey will immediately be emailed to you.  Please note that the survey is designed for all types of respondents, regardless of your user level. Of course, the survey is anonymous, private and secure.

As always, please contact us with any questions or to learn more about PrivacyHarbor.