Own your online presence

As our digital lives become more connected, it is increasingly important that we all protect our personal information and manage our privacy. 

What does it mean to own my online presence?  

Owning your online presence is actively managing your privacy and staying current with new ways to stay safe online such as using available tools – like privacy and security settings – to manage who sees the things you post online and with whom you share information. 

Why is it important? 

What you may not realize is that there is probably more of your personal information floating around in cyberspace than you think. Everything, from what you post on social media and your browsing habits, to the information organizations collect about you leaves a digital footprint. The things you do online make an impact offline. You can create a strong and positive online reputation by taking steps to better manage your privacy and protect your personal information. 

How can I own my online presence? 

Personal information is like money. Value it. Protect it.
Information about you, such as your purchase history or location, has value – just like money. Be thoughtful about who gets that information and how it’s collected through apps and websites.  
 
Be aware of what’s being shared 
Set the privacy and security settings on web services and devices to your comfort level for information sharing. It’s OK to limit how and with whom you share information.  
 
Share with care
Think before posting about yourself and others online. Consider what a post reveals, who might see it and how it could be perceived now and in the future. 
 
Apply the golden rule online 
Post only about others as you have them post about you.  

Social Media – Common Risk 

• Essentially assume that everything you post has the potential to become public  
• Know that it’s very easy for people to take comments out of context online. Couple that with the fact that text doesn’t often convey emotional subtext, Think before you post. 
• Analyze your online presence from the perspective of prospective employers or clients. 
• Most social networks have privacy controls to allow you to control who can view what types of content. Spend some time on each network to set the privacy settings to what you’re comfortable with. 
• Spam accounts are sometimes very convincing. Everyone has their own preference level for connecting with people who they don’t know personally, but make sure you’re making that choice consciously. 
• Social media profiles are fertile sources of personal information that attackers can use in social engineering scams, and more. When sharing, consider how what you’re sharing could be used against you. 
• Social media can inadvertently be a source of a client confidentiality breach for your work – Remain vigilant.