Should you keep your driver's license number private?

Is it true that you should keep your driver's license number private? Can hackers use that information to steal your identity?

Glenn Huestis, via e-mail

I remember when people commonly had their driver's license number printed on their checks as a convenience. Those days are long gone: It's no longer safe to share that number.

The chart below lists various private numbers and other data that you should be wary about providing to strangers--on the Web or anywhere else. Revealing such details can put both your identity and your money at risk. Never put this information in an e-mail or instant message, never reveal it over the phone (unless both you and the person on the other end are using cell or landline phones--not VoIP), and never enter it in a form located on an unsecured Web site (look for "https://" to the left of the address to confirm that the page is secure).

Even on a secure site, you should be wary of sharing any of this information. Does the site need the info and have a right to it? Don't enter it at a site that you reached by clicking an e-mail link (for that matter, never click e-mail links; instead, go to the site by typing its correct URL into the address bar and pressing <Enter>).

Information to Keep Private