Most of us categorize our personal information as data in the form of our name, address, telephone number, Social Security number, date of birth, driver's license number, credit card account information, and the like. What we often forget are things like our email address, and the information we share within our personal email correspondence, including the photos we send to our friends and family. Digital photography has made taking and sharing pictures easier than ever before. And as anyone who has ever had a personal photo published on the internet without permission can tell you, you can't get much more personal or feel more exposed than when your picture is available all over cyberspace for the entire world to see. Predators very often find their victims by viewing your personal photos and information online.

What can you do to keep your precious, private, personal photos from being stolen when you share them with family and friends online? Fortunately, there are a number of products available that provide secure methods of transmission, making it safe to share all of your digital photos with only the people you choose.

There are a few tips you'll want to remember when choosing software for sending and storing your photos. Keep the following tips in mind when selecting your photo software:

? You want the software to be easy to use. If it's complicated, you (and your family members) will be less likely to use it, so find software that has "drag and drop" capability. That way, you can load your photos onto your computer, and then drag and drop the individual photos you want to send into your emails.

? Use compression software. Photo compression software allows you to use less computer storage space, freeing up valuable memory for all your other programs. Additionally, by compressing photos (sometimes up to 95%, depending on the compression software you use) before you send them, it takes less time to transmit your photos over the internet. Additionally, since some email programs limit the size of file attachments, you don't have to worry about photo files being too large to email.

? Make sure your software encrypts your photo data. Some (but not all) photo compression software encrypts the data that makes up your pictures so that it cannot be opened by intruders. Be sure to get photo compression software that encrypts your photos, allowing you to decide who can open and view your pictures. That way, if your laptop or email should fall into the wrong hands, your photos are still protected from strangers.