Digital Identity

Everyone likes to keep their personal information personal but how far can you go to really achieve that when online?

What is your Digital Identity?
Your digital identity is anything and everything that you have ever put online - names, addresses, photos - that can be accessed by anyone across the world.

So I have a Facebook page, what's wrong with that?
Having a Facebook account to keep in contact with friends is great and even using Skype to call your cousin in the States is amazing, but have you ever wondered what happens to all the information you put in to sign up to these things?  What happens to all those photos you put up on Facebook?

Yes, they are available for you and your friends to share, but sometimes they wind up elsewhere if you don't know how to protect them.

Again, so what?


Believe it or not, the way you portray yourself in any situation can have repercussions.  Most employers these days are using the internet to scan and research potential employees, and what you have on your facebook profile may be what decides whether you get the job - or not.



So be careful with those pictures from that last night out you had OK?


But everyone's got one......
This is true, so the main rule is - BE CAREFUL!

The majority of people in the world today have some kind of Web presence in some form or another.  But what about the people who don't?

People like this, most likely, don't have access to the internet or are not too sure how to get started in the first place.  Right now I could say that these people we are talking about are too old to understand the internet; but I know plenty of older people who in some instances know their way around a computer and the internet better than me!!!

People in positions of responsibility, let's say a parent or teacher, for example, have to be even more careful with what they put online and they also need to watch over what is being publish by those under their care.  Children especially are prone to putting up very sensitive information with regards to their location, age, sex, and their name.  It is imperative that you watch over children online as you never know who they are talking to on the other end of the conversation.

So what can I do?

I will be the first to admit that I have encourage people to sign up for countless websites, where they have to continually input their personal information.  Some people have been known to change the odd digit of their phone number or even give a false name entirely, but if you can't do that, you need to know how to hide your information.

• The first thing is to check the websites FAQs or help section - these usually provide information about how to protect your identity.
• Secondly, be aware of what you are signing up for.

In essence, you need to be vigilant to everything you see and hear online.  If you want an interesting exercise, just to see how well you have or have not hidden yourself, go onto Google.

'Google yourself' and see what comes up.  Often people are surprised at what they find.

Well that's all for this outing, at least it wasn't as long as eSafety.  Hope to have you visit again soon.

Later Days,