Do you know how much of your private information is available to strangers?
We may be in a digital world but that doesn’t mean that we shouldn’t take precautions with our information. Many of us do not realize how much of our personal information is available to outsiders and how it contributes to our digital footprint.
What is a Digital Footprint?
Your Digital Footprint is the information about you or from you (activities, comments, public records) that can be accessed via a digital environment.*
The 3 Main Sources of Information
Our personal information is available from a variety of sources and much is out of our control: we don’t have any say in who can access our information.
1. Public Records
The Freedom of Information Act was first enacted in 1966 by President Lyndon B. Johnson and supplemented by President Bill Clinton with the Electronic Freedom of Information Act Amendments in 1996.** Some of the information available to anyone as a public record includes:
- Census records
- Consumer protection information
- Court dockets
- Criminal records
- Government spending reports
- Legislation minutes
- Professional and business licenses
- Real estate appraisal records
- Sex offender registration files
- Voter registration
2. Web Searches
Have you ever Googled yourself? Almost anyone can be found online. Someone can find information about you through:
- Simple search by name, e-mail or phone number (it gives thousands of results!)
- Companies that help you look up anyone if you can provide some basic information. Many of the results will come back as free searches and then they offer more in-depth information for a fee.
- Companies who maintain massive databases that troll public and government websites for information and sell it to anyone willing to pay.
3. Social Websites
Do you have a Facebook, Google+ or LinkedIn account? Even with extensive privacy settings, there is no guarantee that the information you share won’t get into the wrong hands. A simple status update about being away from home can be an open invitation for a thief. Some of the information you may have shared includes:
- Home address and phone number
- Dates for vacation and travel
- Photos or “check-ins” of where you are
- Names of your family members
What do you want your Digital Footprint to be?
Take steps to protect yourself and the information that you can actually control. Privacy controls are an important component when interacting with online resources. Regularly reviewing and setting your privacy controls helps limit what is available to the general public. Not everyone will look at the pictures, posts, blogs, likes/dislikes or comments without evil intent. Being aware of what you are putting online and who might see it is the best step in protecting yourself.
* http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Digital_footprint
** http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Public_records
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