Dear Editor:

Over the past month we have seen that NSA has been able to hack into our private information and everyone is shocked that this information was leaked to the press. We have also seen how Mr. Snowdon left the country and is living in Russia with a plethora of government classified documents.The security of our information is very prevalent if you have a stay in the hospital. The release of HIPA information by the hospital staff lies just as NSA files are protecting classified information. But think about the information in your hospital records, Social Security numbers, health information, address, phone numbers, that include your land line and cell phone, and who your next of family to be notified.All of this information is open to the entire staff of the hospital to use your identification for unscrupulous purposes.The plethora of information available to the on line hackers don't stop there. With the high cost of goods purchased no one carries a wad of cash in their pocket. Fill up your gas tank and it's a $40 bill and more if you own a truck. The only option left to you is to use your credit card. If you are on vacation you continually purchase fuel along the highways. Don't you think the credit card companies can use this information to track when you are and that your home is empty and open to a breach of your home to steal your valuables?Now let's take this a step further. Look at all the tags that the food stores use to help you obtain a low cost for your food purchased, or to get gas at a lower cost. Look at those little plastic information tags that everyone carries on their key chains. That goes to the Wal-Marts and Lowes of the world. The companies know when you shop, how often, and exactly what you purchase, how many coupons you use and what time of the day you regularly shop. Companies use this information for stock replenishment on their shelves and when to have the correct number of employees at the register. But think of the other side of the coin. Again, if you do this on a regular basis, you are leaving your empty home open for the thieves to break into your home or hackers to steal your private information. Everyone in the world has a piece of your private information.Now don't you think the Wiki Leaks of the world or the Snowdon's have a very easy task to collect all the information on your private life. I would like to suggest that there is no such thing as private security on your personal information. The only thing you can hope to do is to keep an accurate record of your credit cards and what information share and who you give it to. And that is not a guarantee that you're secure - even if you pay for a security company to help you.K. TregerLehighton