Digitize Your Documents & Protect Your Data
A friend had their wallet stolen recently and—without a passport—wasn't able to fly home as planned for a birthday party. They were able to provide additional documentation and fly the next day, but it's one of those experiences that makes you think: What if it had been worse? What if they missed a birth or a funeral? What if there hadn't been an alternative solution for traveling?
It's a panic most of us know. Whether you've lost everything in a fire or theft, or if you were one of millions stranded during the initial months of the pandemic... You feel helpless. Your mind races anxiously, and it becomes difficult to think straight. You wish you already had a back-up plan.
Saving all of your important documents to digital is one way to prepare for situations like these. We recently scanned our essential docs onto multiple 32GB USB drives. (We snagged a 10-pack of USBs on Amazon for just under $30.) Our next step is to lock each individual file, and then put a master password on each drive.
What to back up
Tips for protecting your data
Secure each individual file with a password
Steps will vary slightly based on the file type and which program you open it with. Language may include: secure, permissions, protect, password, sharing. Just ask Google if you need help!
Lock your drive with a master password
This prevents random users from accessing your drive and seeing what kind of data is on it. If your document names are obvious (e.g. Your-Name-Drivers-License), someone might be more tempted to hack into individual files.
Hide your password(s)
With the hard copies of your important docs
Repeat with 2-4 drives
We made three 32GB drives each with identical information copied onto them.
Tell no one
Do not share the password(s) or locations of your drives with anyone who doesn't absolutely need to know. That could be your spouse, lawyer, parents, or adult children.
Other Advice on Identity Protection
Money & Financial Info
Some people recommend making photocopies of your credit and debit cards. This one is pretty risky. You may want to opt for saving your card info securely in individual apps or digital wallets.
With the potential loss of internet and electricity, you want to be certain you have cash, too. We recommend keeping about $200 on hand in a variety of small bills: 20s, 10s, 5s, and 1s. Small bills are important because either people may not have change, or you could be targeted for appearing wealthy.
Cloud Storage
Another place to back up your data is in the online cloud. Popular apps include Google Drive and DropBox.