If you want to know the reputation of a restaurant, the location of a local tailor, or the air speed of the African Swallow, you would enter a search query online for it. It also makes sense to Google yourself and your family to find out what information is out there about you. Why? Unfortunately, people may be trying to steal your identity.
Identity Protection
If you have a unique name, then looking yourself up on the Internet is a relatively easy task. The results will give you some insight into the public record and reputation attached to your name. This is the first defense in protecting your identity.
Identity protection experts recommend using alerts on any transactions associated with your information.
You can use Google to send alerts when mentions of your name appear online. Just create an alert from the Google alert app.
If you have a very common name, then things become more complicated. But, having a common name offers a certain amount of protection. It thins out the statistical possibility that someone will use your information over and over. By searching yourself often on the Internet, you verify the information distributed about you is accurate.
Job Protection
According to CareerBuilder, more than one in three employers use social media to research potential employees. The way a candidate presents himself on the Internet is directly related to the company’s marketing platform. An employee, whether new or established, can lose a job because of perceived Internet discretion.
What may have seemed like a joke can be misinterpreted when it is seen on a Web search.
Understand Google searches do not give the user a sense of context, so a single statement can be easily misread.
Search yourself and your family as an employer would. Look for the worst interpretation of the results then take measures to remove unfavorable comments.
Child Protection
The Internet has become a hunting ground for cyberbullies, cyberstalkers and pedophiles. These predators use several techniques to initiate contact with the target; in this case, your child. These may be unsolicited emails, social media friendship or forum chats.
To engage the target, the perpetrator will search the Web to find information so the first contact does not seem so spontaneous. Searching for your name can also reveal your location and your child’s school. With this data, the predator can approach you or your child with specific information that can make him seem less of a threat.
This is a particular danger for young children.
By knowing what information is publicly available, you can create safety precautions for your family.
Create a safe word that only you and your child know, and instruct them not to go anywhere with an adult who does not know the word.
These days everyone has or should have an online public image. The sooner you start managing yours and those of your children, the better off you all will be. It takes time to begin creating a positive online presence. Once you do so, however, you’ll need to spend only an hour or two a week to keep your online reputation clean.
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