The Internet is simply wonderful but it has also given criminals an easy path into our lives. If you do not have all the latest protective softwares in place, your web-connected computer has an open door for hackers and spammers who can do all kinds of mean things to you. There is also news that when you bring your computer for repairs (particularly to Geek Squad/Best Buy), the employees often look for "sensitive" data (e.g. private photos, financial information, etc.) and then steal it for "fun" or criminal activity.

Celebrity couple Tom Cruise and Katie Holmes had a similar problem when a clueless photographer brought the hard drive containing their Italian wedding photos to a repair shop and all the private photos were copied. Since they are celebrities and rich, the police acted on their complaint and the criminals are being charged but if you are just another Joe or Jane who took those "fun" photos with that digital camera for your private viewing, be careful saving them on a computer connected to the web and never bring that computer for repairs. Plus, if your computer dies, don't just throw it away (and of course, never give it to someone). Make sure that you take the hard drive out, destroy it with a hammer, and then throw it in the trash.

Previously, Marcia Cross learned the lesson about the wonders of a paper shredder when her private photos were stolen from her trash.