Take on the role of an investigator to learn more about your digital footprint (tips: add your middle name, city, school, job, or any other descriptor that will differentiate you from others that have your same name).
- Using a couple of different search engines, search for your name.
- Take note of what you find, considering what surprises you, what concerns you, and what implications this information could have for your privacy and security.
- Write a comment below with a summary of what you learned from this exercise about yourself, your digital footprint, and what advice you would give to others when using digital tools.
Be sure to consider the importance of being careful and purposeful in how we use digital tools and the information we share with the public. This exercise will help you understand the benefits and potential issues associated with your digital footprint and how to protect yourself in the digital world.
When I looked up my name in different search engines I was able to see where I live, my house phone number, my email address, some family members, where and when I graduated from high school, where I work, a picture of me, and the link to my Facebook account nothing of which I am really surprised. However, the information that I did see when I searched my full name (first, middle, and last), my age, and the city and state that I live in doesn’t allow for much privacy or even security. For example, if I met someone online and wasn’t really sure about them and was hesitant to disclose certain information such as where exactly I live well that doesn’t matter because as long as that person knows my first and last name they can find out that information without me giving it to the and without me even knowing. This exercise didn’t really teach me anything about myself however I am going to be very mindful when creating other social media accounts for myself and even my child. I would advise people when using digital tools to not use their full name, maybe use initials and also have an email address that is only used for social media accounts and a separate email address for things that are more profession based.
As I mentioned before, I am skeptical about using technology. Therefore, my Internet use is minimal, and I share little information. Our online life isn’t private. Everyone, from friends and family to potential partners, employers, and college recruiters, can quickly discover detailed and often personal information about us online and on social media.
As soon as I searched my name, I was not surprised to find not too much about myself, except for my son’s Facebook profile. We should be careful about what we post online because it may be permanently online. Even if a website, host, or social media platform takes down a piece of our digital footprint upon our request, there’s a chance that someone has documented this information.
I suggest thinking before we post. We never know who’ll see photos, videos, or comments we put online, so think about how others might react before we post anything. Even apps like Snapchat can be screenshotted and shared. Never share our address, phone number, or school name online.
Discovering Our Digital Footprint
After conducting this investigation into my digital footprint using several search engines, I was both surprised and concerned by the amount of information available about me. While I expected to find basic details, like my name associated with my professional life and public records, I was taken backward by how much personal information was accessible, including my city of residence and some old accounts I had forgotten about. Even though I do not post much on social media, I realized that my digital presence is still larger than I imagined.
One thing that really surprised me was finding images and comments linked to older profiles, which I thought were private or inactive. I was also concerned by how easily someone could piece together information about me, like my job history, city, and educational background which could potentially be used for identity theft or targeted scams.
From this exercise, I learned that even though I am careful about what I share online, my digital footprint is still significant. It made me realize that information can linger on the internet long after we think it is gone, and that we often have less control over our personal data than we assume.
My advice to others would be to regularly search for themselves online and clean up old or inactive accounts. It is also essential to strengthen privacy settings on social media platforms, use secure passwords, and be mindful of the information you share. Even if you are not actively posting, you can still leave a trail that can be accessed by others. So, it is important to stay vigilant and take steps to protect your privacy, as well as that of your family.
I found that not only my personal information was accessible, but also information about my family members and people connected to them, which was even more concerning. Extremely, I even found information about my neighbors who live in my building. This experience showed me how crucial it is to think carefully before sharing information and to implement strong privacy measures to safeguard our data and maintain our peace of mind.
After using several search engines, I only found my information attached to my school. This does not surprise me since my school’s directory is on its website. I am not big on posting information about myself online so not finding a lot of information about myself was not shocking. On the other hand, I am aware that there are websites on the internet that will allow you to do more detailed searches about your name for a fee. This is concerning. Others should not be allowed to access your information simply because they paid a fee. This implies that our privacy and security can be bought. From this exercise, I learned that my digital footprint is small. if you do not post a lot, then there is less information to be found about you. I would advise others to be careful when posting information. I would advise them to think before they post.
I recently discovered a LinkedIn account that I created seven years ago. What surprised me is that anyone can view my profile without needing to log in or sign up for LinkedIn. I’m concerned about the possibility of someone accessing my personal information and potentially using it for harmful purposes.
From the exercise, I learned that my digital footprint, even from many years ago, is still accessible to the public. This realization highlighted how easily personal information can remain available online without me being fully aware of it. The fact that my LinkedIn account could be viewed by anyone without them logging in emphasized the importance of regularly managing and securing my online profiles.
For myself, this underscored the need to review privacy settings on social media platforms and consider the potential risks associated with oversharing personal details. It also reminded me of the significance of maintaining a professional image on platforms like LinkedIn, as I may not always be in control of who accesses my information.
Advice for others:
Yrka you are right, after my investigation I am thinking to do the same for my findings.
After searching for my name on Google and Yahoo, I found that my only notable online presence is my LinkedIn profile. I was surprised by how little information is available about me; this likely comes from my name change after getting married eight years ago and my choice to stay off social media since becoming an educator. While a minimal digital footprint safeguards my privacy, it limits my professional visibility and networking opportunities. This experience highlighted the critical need for intentional online management. It’s crucial to be cautious about what we share online, as even small details can have a significant impact on our digital footprint. I encourage others to regularly assess their online presence, actively engage on professional platforms like LinkedIn, and be thoughtful about the information they share. Even a small digital presence can significantly shape how we are perceived personally and professionally, so let’s ensure it reflects our best selves.
Sara, I agree with you because it is extremely important to safeguard our data.
When I searched my name with my last name on Google, I was shocked to see how much information was out there about me. It’s scary to realize that anyone can see where I work and even find my old name on a website. I felt anxious when I saw they had my exact address, including my apartment number and home phone number. They can also access my cell phone number if someone pays for it, which makes me feel incredibly vulnerable. It’s unsettling to know that my personal information is so exposed, and it makes me think twice about what I share online. Some tips to help protect our personal information online:
1. Adjust Privacy Settings: Regularly check and limit visibility on social media accounts.
2. Be Cautious with Sharing: Avoid posting sensitive information like your address or phone number.
3. Use Strong Passwords: Create unique passwords and enable two-factor authentication for added security.
4. Search for Yourself: Periodically check what information is available online and request removal from data aggregation sites.
5. Limit Public Profiles: Use private settings and only accept requests from people you know.
6. Review App Permissions: Grant access only to necessary information for apps you use.
7. Educate Yourself: Stay informed about online privacy practices and risks.
8. Use a Virtual Private Network for added security, especially on public Wi-Fi.
I recently searched for my name on various search engines like Google and Bing and was surprised by the amount of information available about me. This included my work history, current and previous addresses, and even details about my relatives. It was unsettling to see how much of my personal information was publicly accessible. This raised privacy concerns for me, as I realized that this information could potentially be misused if it fell into the wrong hands. A friend once advised me to regularly monitor what information is available about me, and I now recommend that everyone should do the same. It’s important to regularly check your digital presence and adjust privacy settings on social media platforms, as they are often the source of such personal data. It’s crucial to be cautious about what you share online, as even small details can have a significant impact on your digital footprint.
When I was younger, I would randomly input my name and do a google search. I became curious about what information has been collected regarding my identity. At the time, the information I found was 3 social media pages, my phone number, address, and the name of a few family members. Recently, I googled my name again and I was intrigued by the information I found. Similar to my past search, I found my phone number, address, age and the names of some family members. From my google search, I clicked 3 websites: 411.com, whitepages.com, and spokeo.com; and found previous phone numbers that I had and a background report, which require I pay a fee. Surprisingly, my social media pages were not part of the results this time. My concern is how accessible a background report is for a simple fee. Anyone willing to pay will know details I do not freely distribute. That makes me uncomfortable.
It is clear that our personal information is available to the public. I don’t feel secure knowing that people can access my address just by knowing my names. I also do not like that my relatives names are online. It is clear to me that I have no control of this information being accessible to others. As far as digital footprint, I know that our searches are tracked, and that the things we post become public information. Although I did not find much related to my social media content or searches, I do know that once its online, its there for good. I would suggest that people be mindful of the things they post, as well as to things they don’t.
While performing a digital footprint audit on multiple search engines, I found a lot of information for people that share my name. I also found information related to my workplace and some programs that I am involved in. I am not surprised by finding that information, although I do believe that too much information is shared without asking for consent. I am a private person and do not have any social media accounts (instagram, facebook, etc.). It is concerning that so much private information is available online, especially when people are not aware. Information regarding address or workplace can definitely have negative implications in terms of privacy and safety.
This activity made me realize that one’s digital footprint is public by default, and it is up to the individual to take precautions to make sure that they keep their personal information protected.
Some advice that I would give to others when using digital tools is to manage their privacy settings and cookies, use strong passwords, and to also not share personal information on the internet. Although digital tools may be required for academic purposes or for one’s occupation, it is always critical to think before you post.
I found some very interesting stuff. There is something I found that was very personal and never thought it was something out there for everyone to see. I was also able to find personal info about other family members with my last name. I find this scary and something to be aware of in the future. The digital footprint is real and anything you say, post, comment on, or like will stay on the web forever. Part of the reason I never post pictures of my family and even pictures of myself is knowing the impact this can have in the future. I don’t have Instagram, Facebook, or any of that nature other than WhatsApp.
Digital tools are a part of our present and future and you need to be knowledgeable about all the implications that are carried with them. Third-party companies can be selling your info and you can become a victim of identity theft.
–I found different LinkedIn accounts of different people with the same name and same borough as me.
-There are so many people with the same name.
-Facebook pages
–The websites I have found are very informative about people’s information
–It links others with the same last name but also has people’s addresses and ages.
–I learned that it is straightforward and hard at the same time to find my information. Also, the privacy is not safe. My digital footprint is in danger because there might be something I don’t want to be shown and it’s public. I would advise other people to be careful what information they put online. I would suggest that they check their cookies on the websites.
I was taken aback when I searched for my name because I do not have any social media accounts, and I am not on any social platforms. I am a very private person. So, this experience really made me think twice. I realized that since we are public employees, some of our information is still visible to the public in one way or another. If your name was mentioned somewhere and tagged, then it will appear eventually. I also realize that since my first and last names are unique, they are more likely to be easily visible than other common first and last names. Therefore, you are more likely to see possible relatives, and in my case, my other family members are given as suggestions. Also, if third-party companies release your info, you will most likely see it too. To conclude, even if you are as private as possible, chances are you are still visible to others, and that’s our reality today.
When googling my name, I wasn’t completing surprised by what I saw because I tend to google myself from time to time to see what’s out there. I was surprised that my wedding website was one of the first things I saw. I also saw a lot of my education and my current occupation. It is interesting how much is out there. I think this goes to prove that less is best on the internet as things are always going to be there.
Taking a role as an investigator really opened up my eyes for why I get so many spam phone calls. I went on a journey to see if I can find out information about myself and omg my information is everywhere. I went on several websites like: fastpeoplesearch.com, beenverified.com, realtyhop.com, advancedbackgroundchecks.com and truthfinder.com. I was amazed and surprised to see how much information was given out of me. What I learned is that I’m a dead woman if anyone is after me. They will be able to find me in a flash. My past and current addresses and phone numbers. The houses that I have bought. My relatives and even my horoscope sign. It is crazy how our digital footprints are left on the web and accumulated by these sights to offer to strangers. I guess there’s no more privacy unless you control your use on the internet. The advice I give to the youth is to limit putting their personal information online and adding to their digital footprint.
As I mentioned in class, my digital footprint wasn’t as out there as I believed. As a child I hated the spelling of my last name (Vazquez) so I always changed the z to and s and spelled my name like that all the way u until recently. I found few things on both spellings. The one thing that surprised me was an obituary I found with my same now and it kind of creeped me out. Something accurate I found was my linked in account and my old MySpace profile. Another thing I found was a website that contained past addresses and phone numbers of mine. The website even included the name of my mom and siblings and any “possibly” connected to me. It was insane to see how much accurate info they actually had and for a small fee more information could be unlocked. What I learned from this exercise was that you really have to read terms and conditions, try to click unknown links and you have to be very weary about what you post online. Information can go a long way yet doesn’t go far. Anyone can easily be accessed with enough research. My digital footprint in my opinion is pretty decent. I did not find anything obscene or embarrassing so that’s a plus. The advice I would give others who use digital tools would be just to be safe and intentional when using digital tools. Also, don’t do surveys lol. These companies are meant to collect and share your information hence why you have so many emails and spam calls.
I was surprised by one thing that popped up when I searched my name. I was surprised that an old case file from a car accident that I had in 2019. The other things that generated were expected.
What I learned is that I need to be more discreet in the things I list as public knowledge. My advice is to be 100% sure what you want the public to know about you.
I am not surprised by the information that surfaced because I frequently check my digital footprint to see what information is available about me online. What I do dislike is that all my personal information is out there for everyone to see. My digital footprint dates back over 20 years, including all the addresses where I’ve lived and who lived with me. As a city worker, people can easily find my employment information, including who I work for and how much I earn. I can even find my old Myspace profile with all my pictures still on it.
To try and maintain some privacy, I now create social media profiles under a different name so they won’t be associated with me. Sometimes I feel like the internet invades our privacy with the way people can simply search your name and your whole life story appears. This information can be used against you, with strangers potentially opening bank accounts or engaging in fraudulent activities using your identity.
Digital footprint is something that I always have had in my mind since I became a teacher in 2013. When I searched my name, I found that the first thing that appears is the directory of the school where I work. This was not surprising at all; it would have to be easy to find my contact information (email) so that parents could contact me. On the other hand, my social media accounts did not come up. This was surprising to me since I knew I had made my profile name not easy to be found for students, however I was not sure if I did a good job. It seems that I did. I was able to find other people with my name even in the same city, so that was unexpected.
The advice I would give to others is to think about their privacy and what information they want to be available to anyone. Information we make public can be seen by anyone, with good or bad intentions. Therefore, changing profile names to something that is not that easy to find can help separate work life from social life.
When I searched for my name, I didn’t find much that was surprising. There is an old project from high school that’s still live and public. I’m surprised that most of what I found was not directly from me or posted by me, but from other things I’m tagged in (like my sister’s crew team announcement, grandmother’s obituary, etc.). I don’t think this information will have any implications for my privacy and security.
One piece of advice I would give to others when using digital tools is to make sure the share settings on things you create is not public, but only people added to a particular link.
In this exercise, when I searched myself, I was surprised something came up because throughout the years I periodically go online to search myself, and if I were to find anything I take the necessary steps to get the information removed. My recently created CUNY Commons account was the first thing that populated on the search and as I kept scrolling, I noticed information on my sibling. A lot of people with the same name as me exist more than ever before, and it was alarming. In the past, I’ve seen things like all my email addresses, home addresses, and phone numbers, and it also included family members and their information which would then lead back to me.
The advice I would offer to others is to be very careful about your online presence. Be wary about plugging in your information in random sites, verify the site you’re navigating, ensure your social media is private, and verify that it does not show up on search engines. Please don’t click on any links as they are tactics to steal your identity amongst other things, and do not fall for email scams. Utilize certain companies (credit cards also offer this) to help keep track of your information on the dark web, give you alerts when your information has leaked, and help you remove it. You must do your due diligence to validate these companies, as not everything you see online is credible. Don’t share personal information online, erase your cache and cookies often, use strong passwords, and be mindful of the privacy settings on all accounts you use. Our devices leave a digital footprint that acts like a road map of all our activity, our privacy can easily be compromised. Take action to ensure online protection for yourself and your family.
Digital foot printing is an amazing concept. The fact that every key stroke adds to the creation of one’s digital footprint is quite intriguing. In searching for my digital footprint, I discovered some very surprising and interesting elements of my digital footprint. Prior to enrolling in this course, I unconsciously took for granted what every keystroke entailed and what it was creating digitally. Learning about my digital footprint has now afforded me the opportunity to become more selective on how, when and where I use any technology. For example, I now understand that when I conduct certain online searches, depending on the search engine, I may get a request returned stating my specific search wasn’t found but additional information is provided. Information that I did not expect such as an article from 30 years ago, photos of myself with students, etc. Needless to say, I now am extremely conscious of using technology due to ongoing creation of my digital footprint.
I have searched my name using different search engines and uncovered surprises that caused concerns as I felt that my personal information was exposed for anyone to view. I immediately removed my information if applicable and even did the same for my family members. This simple task definitely leaves us to think about the implications of our digital footprint for privacy and security.
Currently, my name is associated with my professional license number and where I work. I try to make sure I am private when it comes to other social media platforms.
It is important for people to think about what they post or share whether it be texts or pictures. These footprints can fall into the hands of anyone that could potentially be exploited by others with malicious intentions. Additionally, if a name is common, there can be the potential errors of misidentification when conducting background checks or verifying credentials online thus affecting employment.
Individuals should regularly review privacy settings on all social media accounts. Be mindful about sharing sensitive information online and establish strong passwords for all accounts whenever possible to avoid hackers scamming for personal data.
Although, I have used digital tools to search my name in the past, I did not do the type of search that I performed for this lesson. This time I did an extensive search which included my middle initial, middle name, stage name as middle name and without anything in the middle. There were several search engines that I used for the research, Google, BING, and YouTube. Discovering my digital footprint was very interesting to say the least.
While my eyes were glued to the screen for over an hour, my mind was racing to understand how, when, where and why are my digital footprints in all of the search engines that I choose to research. When I finished, I thought that my eyes would be the same color blue as the screen.
The information presented to me was a lot. There are some things that are correct & incorrect, some flattering, while some down right wrong. Reading the information made me feel surprised, flattered, agitated and then concerned too. I was also surprised to see that I was connected to people that I do not know, This leaves me no choice but to do more research, I have to, this information came from somewhere, someone connected me to them. Unfortunately, these are the types of privacy issues to pay attention to in the digital world. As I continued my search I came across two Facebook pages, One page I immediately recognized, but the other one had my profile picture and is in another language. You could see right off that the FB page looked distorted. Looking further, I realized that it was in Hindi. I tried to open tabs but any tab that I clicked on lead me to input a password. Here is another situation that I must deal with, I am happy that I had to chance to participate in the activity, it was very helpful to me. Some of the information I may never have become aware of.
What is flattering to me is the fact that one can…Google me. It seems to have a sort of importance attached to it. I did not find my address, unless you paid for it. I did find many pictures of me as an Artist. videos, my Photography and my Music. All search engines produces more and or different information.
The implication of this information having an adverse effect on my privacy is great. What do you do about it? I am not sure at this time, will have to find out. Why would someone want to be connected to someone that they don’t know? It would be interesting to find out who the people are that are connected to me and why. I have work to do,
I am one who says that I am careful and don’t post a lot of personal information online. However, my digital footprints says something different. Maybe I need to pay more attention to my online footprints and the impressions they are leaving,
I learned that it is impossible to be off the radar if you are an entertainer or use any apps. I am not sure what advice I would give someone, but to be careful that what you put out represents you. You cannot control what others post but may be able to control it.
When I searched my name I didn’t find anything about me. I don’t post none of my pictures or personal information online. I’m very private. For example I use fake names on all my social media accounts and I don’t share too much online.
It is very interesting how you have been able to stay off the radar and not leave any digital footprints. I too am very private any really don’t like to do much personal business online. However, nowadays it is difficult not to handle personal business online due to the fact that there is an app associated with everything you do. I am conscious when ‘I use apps to be sure to check and see what rights I would be giving to them if I want to use the app.
Although, you use fake names your URL doesn’t change. It is connected to you.
Unfortunately I am the type of person that have Googled myself already ha ha so I was not very surprised by what I saw. When I first searched myself I was not happy to see that being a Health provider exposes a lot of my information in multiple sites. My information exposed includes phone number and address as well as my National Provider Identification. Thankfully none of my social media appeared or pictures due to settings placed. I would definitely recommend looking at your settings and what you sign up for.
After searching my name on the internet, I was very surprised on what I found, Social media pages, old addresses and people and family members I was associated with. I even found a criminal case that was affiliated with my name Even though it wasn’t me but the fact that it was there was shocking. My digital footprint seem to be everywhere on the web.if you post something on social media it leaves a digital footprint even if you post something jokingly on social media it will be everywhere. Now in days you have to be very cautious on what you put on the web.
I think this is supper important to know about is this day and age. My students share with me all the time that they found my tiktok page or my YouTube channel. I try not to engage much in the conversation because the majority of those videos are not related to the Department of Education. I have created content for my church family. I have created content that is for children and teenagers related to Biblical Truths. Although none of the content is created to be offensive and can be considered offensive to some. I know that there are some setting to make things private but most of my content is available for all to see. Even though I am open for any to see the information, it can sometimes not be related to other content that is readily available. I try not to post much on Facebook or the like because we can sometimes have unhealthy comparisons.
After searching my name on multiple search engines many profiles came up all over the world. One actually had previous address associated with me but thankfully I did not find any social media profiles or pictures . I feel many people with linkedin profiles instantly pop up. I do not really use my full government name on any social medias so I feel that plays a role of keeping my social media private. Alos, keeping social media’s private as well help with that too.
Our digital footprint is a trace of our private lives and how we navigate the online world. If you want to be private, don’t use your government name, read all policies, do not allow access/sharing. As well as, thinking about the content you live because there are ways to hack, there are ways to to trace everything from previous years. Your digital footprint is your name, your legacy and if you taunt that; you may lose more than you would gain.
After searching may name on Google and Bing, I noticed someone has access to my whole name, who I might be related to, where I have live and where I have lived, where I work and even where I take classes. In Bing, I noticed people have access to so much of my work related information, even that I am part of the School Leadership team and I am my school’s SPOC. This search has really made me think of everything I do online.
The advice I would give to other’s is to start limiting cookies, start reading webpage security policies and check what the site does with our information. Also, I would go a step further and delete old email accounts, and skip surveys when going on new apps or sites. Another tip I would tell others is to limit our digital footprints as best we can by limiting our use of social media and unsubscribe from mailing lists.
Our digital footprint is going to always be there, however we can try to limit as much information as we can. We must all be diligent when sharing and stop just clicking away.
After searching my name on a few different search engines the information that pops up are my different alias, age, past and present addresses, phone numbers, and people I am associated with and some people that they say I am associated with but really I am not. There are no pictures of me. I am currently not active in the social media frenzy. In the past I have searched my name before so this information was not new to me. What I don’t appreciate about searching my name is that my current information can be found on the internet for anyone to see, especially my students (and parents of those students) if they were to search my name.
Some advice I would give to limit your digital footprint is to check the terms and conditions of the apps you use, restrict permission for things to be shared when using apps, use privacy settings, don’t overshare your information, and check your browser settings for cookies. Honestly, a digital footprint will always be around. We just have to be careful to limit our digital footprint so information about us is not used against us in a harmful way.
Hey sarah, past and present addresses came up for me as well. I am active on social media but i did not find any pictures of myself. I do not use my name on social media so I feel that helps with staying under the radar and my profiles are private as well. I agree that we should check the terms and conditions because many of us create these profiles but we agree just to agree. It is very important to just be mindful of what we post, because potential jobs can gain access and view us in a different light .
I was pleased to find to learn that there are several more Mabel Garcia’s in the world and that none of the images that appeared in my basic (first and last name search), were not me. I was a bit frightend to actually do a more in depth seach because I am sure that the person who really wanted to learn more about me definitely could. However, I try to ensure that my digital footprint is not running too deep, by not joining social media sites that are not serving my profession or interest, I also review all the privacy settings. I do this because I fear that students or parents may gain access to my personal information and I like to maintain that boundary.
Some advice to offer is think before you share. Your digital footprint is crucial in today’s interconnected world. Once something is online, it can be challenging to completely remove it. Read and Review all privacy settings, you can also do this by limiting the amount of personal information visible to the public or even to your connections. Lastly, use strong and unique passwords. Oftentimes we have change passwords but we are still reusing the same 4 passwords over and over.
Not surprising, but absolutely terrifying none the less. My name, age, phone number and a map of my address are all available to whoever is willing to pay for it on multiple aggregating websites. I have tried to get myself removed from several of sites in the past to no avail. Anyone who knows my name can find me–not just my footprint. It’s really unsafe.
I only have one social media profile (LinkedIn) that shows up in my search. This website lists my education and career, but has not been updated in about 9 years. I do not have any pictures that show up. This does not surprise me because I stopped posting on social media and changed my usernames many years ago. This blog website actually showed up in my search. So, I just removed my last name from my profile.
The advice I would give to others when using digital tools is to read the privacy disclaimers, manage your privacy settings, avoid using your real and/or full name on social media, and be mindful of what you post. Once you post something online it does not belong to you any more. You can never get rid of it. And trying to have your information removed is daunting, at best.
Trying to remove any information about yourself is daunting but there should be a way so it better protects us all. It is a scary world out there.
Well, I found someone with my same name, which was very interesting. I also came up with a linkedin profile and my schools directory, which was not surprising to me. I am surprised, though, that more does not pop up (for myself; there’s a lot on the other lady). I have things like my social media and such under a nickname, which I am glad I did because it shows that it does not connect with me. I would certainly suggest that for persons who would like to be part of the social era, without having to have the stress of it connecting back to them.
Anastasia, I feel it helps not using your full name on social media because it stops the trace. It’s crazy how many people have the same name when you search. Linkedin is a common pop up when searching for someone because it is not a private database.
After searching my name up in a couple of search engines, I found that my digital footprint translates to my profession and advocacy work. So, I was not surprised with the information I found. Much of the information I found related to my educational background and interviews I have done in spreading awareness around black maternal health.
The only social media posts I found was content I posted on TikTok related to my makeup business. I also saw content from my sisters page that came up as well because she tagged me in a few posts. So, I found that a bit surprising.
Also, I found different sites had my personal information like address, name, and family members. This was a bit concerning to me because anyone can find me.
One piece of advice I would give to anyone is to be mindful of the privacy setting on social media apps and if you have the option of opting out of sharing setting. Also, I would suggest for people to be very mindful on what they share and avoid being tagged in a post.
I am not surprised by my digital footprint. I am surprised as the increased number of aggregating websites. I have periodically engaged in trying to have information removed. Much of the information comes from articles I have written for various online magazines, a business I started, a loan I received after a hurricane flooded my home, etc. It is truly worrisome and upsetting how little control you have over so much of it. A site, NY Government Salaries publishes what they think are our salaries. The aggregators are the biggest issue as I think the availability of my address, phone number, etc are safety issues. I think it is sometimes difficult to walk the line between promoting yourself in business and guarding your privacy.
My suggestion would be to look at privacy settings for all social media to opt out of being including in browser searches. And if you have time and the ability try and look at the opt out rules for aggregator sites. Sadly, I feel it is an uphill battle.
After typing my name in a couple of different search engines, I searched for my name and was not surprised at all for what I found. I learned from this exercise what I already knew about my digital footprint: everything posted online about myself is mostly about my educational adventures to Alaska as a Teacher at Sea 2010, as a Space Camp, Turkey teacher and as a Polartrec Teacher 2013.
I am happy to report that my students constantly take it upon themselves to Google me and they are always welcome by my NOAA Teacher at Sea Bilingual educational blog. In it they learn all about my scientific adventures on the Bering Sea, between Russia and Alaska, my trip to The Arctic Circle in Fairbanks, Alaska as part of my training for my expedition to the South Pole with scientists researching Neutrinos from outer space.
One advice I would give to others when using digital tools like social media and blogs is the importance of being careful and purposeful in how we use digital tools and the information we share with the public. We need to understand the benefits and potential issues associated with our digital footprint and how to protect ourselves in the digital world. We teachers are public figures, and as public employees we should not be surprised that our job description profile with info on where we work, what school we serve and subjects we teach are posted publicly online. Even our salaries are posted as public domain info.
We should be very careful with our digital footprint, especially what we post on social media platforms. As public servants, we teachers are held to a higher standard than the average person, and sadly even our private comments posted on social media chats, can somehow be made public at any moment. Monitoring our privacy settings is not only a lesson we teach our students but something we need to apply to ourselves.
Feel free to check out my online blogs at:
https://www.polartrec.com/member/obed-fulcar
Blog
https://noaateacheratsea.blog/author/obed-fulcar/
So I looked up my name on three different search engines. Google had the most data on my name. There was not too much about me. I saw that someone could find information about my family, which was concerning. They could find my salary and my address in NY. I personally do not like that all that personal information is out there. I don’t feel quite safe that my address of where I work is easily available. On the positive side. I did find some information about me that I am proud of. For instance, the fact that I was an All State champion in Field Hockey is available, my contribution to the District 26 CS Newsletter and being a maid of honor. I was also surprised that there are so many women with my same name. I am not the only Vanessa Polonio in the world which is quite fascinating to me. I think a tip I would give to someone about their digital footprint would be to not post too much information about yourself. I have been off social media since COVID. I think this helps to keep my life private.
My digital footprint consists of mostly profile pictures connected to my social media accounts and a few pics with my children. However, there are not that many photos of me despite being a frequent poster many years ago. Of course, there are people finder apps that have my name and various aliases. One alias that was interesting attached me to the last name of a friend I’ve had for over 18 years. It interesting because we’ve never participated on any social networking application together or even posted a pic online. It’s a mystery to me that his last name is associated with me.
After searching myself online, the first thing that popped up was my social media profile (i.e. instagram/facebook), a “mylife” website that includes all versions of my name, my phone number/address in the white pages and even a family photo from years ago. I was alarmed by how much information that was correct. Some of the information was not but things that are personal were out there for anyone to get. My digital footprint might not be as bad as others. My advice would be that you should be careful of what you post and share online. It doesn’t go away.