Your reputation online is sometimes just as crucial as the opinion of others in the real world. Say you applied for a job: the company is likely to research you by looking at your social media profiles, public records, and other sources mentioning you. If it finds something unsavory, it might reconsider or reject your application. Thus, paying attention to what you post and what information is available about you on the internet is crucial.
What is a digital footprint?
Your online actions contribute to your digital identity and footprint, a collection of who you are online, from the posts you share to other details available about you. In many cases, it might be harmless, like photos from trips. Yet, sometimes, thorough research on your digital footprint can reveal less pleasant elements.
For example, you might have shared a controversial opinion or insulted someone online. Besides your active actions, your digital footprint relates to the passive data you generate. That relates to your clicks, visits, preferred websites, and other activities that reveal something about you. Of course, such activities do not necessarily associate with your identity but with other identifiers (like IP address).
Importance of online reputation
So, the information available about you online can play an essential role in many aspects of your life, affecting your life personally and professionally.
Hiring managers can quickly reject applicants who share defamatory or otherwise questionable information. For instance, spreading misinformation or having “black spots” from the past that are no longer relevant might discourage a company or college from associating with you. Understanding how to remove court records from the internet and how to control other information about yourself can be crucial steps in managing and protecting your online presence, says Reddit.
There is another side of online reputation and digital footprint. The more information is available about you, the easier for criminals to target you. For example, there is no issue with sharing your occupation and position at a particular company on LinkedIn.
Yet, criminals can use that information (with other details available about you) to send phishing messages. Data breaches can contribute to opening more opportunities for illegal activities. They frequently expose people’s email addresses and other personal details. So, having such information available about you can be entirely out of your control.
Maintain online reputation and clean digital footprint
Here are some steps to keep your online reputation and digital footprint clean and harmless and make yourself harder to track.
Revise your accounts
Take the time to delete any questionable or negative posts, pictures, or comments. Pay close attention to social media networks, as people usually share the most on these platforms. Additionally, pay attention to details you should reconsider sharing, like your routine (when you leave for a trip or your exact location). While it does relate to keeping your digital footprint clean, it is also for protective measures.
Be wary of unknown platforms
If you’ve ever thought, “I need money now,” the Internet offers plenty of entertainment options and opportunities to earn extra money. Sometimes, these offers are legitimate, and you can use them safely. A quick search should do the trick in revealing whether a particular service can be trusted.
Yet, many questionable opportunities and platforms appear online, including scams to obtain personal information. So, always double-check sites before joining.
Who can see
Keep most accounts private to prevent random people from accessing your personal or professional life. Of course, it doesn’t take much for anyone to become your friend or follower. Thus, only accept people you know, paying attention to whether the account might be fake.
Check search engines
It might be awkward, but run a search query with your name. Then, review all the information that pops up that is related to you. If you find some questionable information, contact site administrators about deleting it. As a precaution, you can set Google Alerts to notify you whenever your name or email appears online.
Delete old accounts
Accounts from the past might just be slightly embarrassing, but sometimes, you don’t want that information to be available. Likely, you won’t remember the credentials. So, you’ll need to contact site administrators for help.
Conclusion
Keeping your digital footprint clean should be a priority. It can prevent unnecessary incidents like being rejected from a position due to your posts. Sharing less or being more wary of things posted also serves as a cybersecurity precaution.
