Whether You Like It Or Not You’re In The Spot Light

There really is no such thing as anonymity anymore. Thanks to the Internet people can be quickly identified and every step they take can be retraced. So what can you do to ensure your privacy in the age of the Internet?

Brian Stetler of the New York Times gives us some examples of the deterioration of privacy on the Internet. A few weeks ago a commuter yelled at a conductor in New York claiming that she was too educated for such nonsense. We’ve all seen the fall out of the Internet activity of former Representative Anthony Weiner. In addition, many criminals have been identified through online pictures and acquaintances. How is it that people are so quickly identified?

First and foremost people tend to leave a trail of activity as they engage with the Internet, they send emails, comment on Facebook and tweet, all of which are permanently held in cyberspace. Moreover about two billion people use the Internet, this means that there is a whole web of intelligence which is likely to easily identify any anonymous individuals. Think of how many acquaintances you have made in your lifetime and consider how likely it is that the majority of these people are on the Internet. So what can you do to protect your privacy?

Don’t do or say anything on the Internet that you wouldn’t in public. Expect anything on the Internet connected to you to be seen by anyone who wants to. This a good way to behave on the Internet because current and potential employers are likely to investigate your Facebook and online activity and you want them to maintain the same professional impression they perceive of you at work. If somebody posts an embarrassing photo of you ask them to remove it. If somebody wants to discuss something highly confidential with you, don’t do it over email, talk about the subject in person.

Avoid giving away too many personal details over the Internet. If you tweet your exact location every hour you are setting yourself up to being a victim of stocking, violence or home invasion. Moreover you are likely to hurt feelings and may be releasing information you don’t want everyone to know. If you’re not ready to tell everybody you’re having a baby don’t post a sonogram. This may seem like common sense but I think we have all heard and seen stories like this in our daily lives.

Consider the consequences your actions have on the businesses you are connected to. Your clients are likely to research you on the Internet and you don’t want to be caught bad mouthing the company you work for or complaining about the amount of work you have to do. Each and every one of a company’s employees reflects that company in their everyday actions including their behavior on the Internet.

As far as being caught doing things in real life and having them end up on the Internet, the best thing you can do is assume everything you do is public. You may have privacy in your own home but expect anything you do elsewhere to come back to you. While this may be an unfortunate side effect of the popularity of the Internet it’s better to have been warned than to be caught off guard.