DIGITAL FOOTPRINTS What are we really sharing online? Dan Heath - heath1d@gllm.ac.ukheath1d@gllm.ac.uk Grwp Llandrillo-Menai.

DIGITAL FOOTPRINTSWhat are we really sharing online?

Dan Heath - heath1d@gllm.ac.uk

Grwp Llandrillo-Menai

WHAT ARE DIGITAL FOOTPRINTS?

• “A digital footprint is a trail of data you create while using the Internet” (Techterms.com)

• IP Addresses

• Search History

• Profile Pages

• Blog Posts

• Emails

• Photos / status updates

WHAT ARE DIGITAL FOOTPRINTS?

• Everybody has a digital footprint

• Some can be very small and hard to find

• Some can be huge and can tell us EVERYTHING about you

• Some are full of embarrassing things you thought long gone

WHO MIGHT LOOK THROUGH YOUR DIGITAL FOOTPRINT?

• (Potential) Employers

• Colleges / Universities

• Law Enforcement

• Family Members

• Advertisers

• ID thieves / scammers / unsavoury folk

• Complete Strangers with YouTube prank-shows

INSTA-PSYCHIC

http://youtu.be/5P_0s1TYpJU

Dan’s “Did we really need to know that?”

Gallery(contents removed)

Newcastle Edition

WHAT APPEARS ON INSTAGRAM IN NEWCASTLE?

• Hot Drinks

• Food

• The weather

• Local landmarks

• Inspirational / not so inspirational quotes

• tattoos

• Drinks / drunks

• Valuables

• Contact details

• Holiday schedules / empty houses

• Interesting outfit choices

• Questionable behaviour

• The after-affects of drinking

OVERSHARING

Accidental or Deliberate

Do people know who they are really sharing with?

What information are you giving people unintentionally?

Do you know about LOCATION SETTINGS?

LOCATION SETTINGS

• Most social media platforms ask for this information

• Sometimes it is on by default

• Every Picture has the potential to be searched via the location it was taken.

• What does this really mean?

• Photo’s tagged in one place can lead to finding all other tagged locations (home addresses) Maps removed

Even if we’re careful, there is so much

information about us online

BBC Video Clip

What would somebody find if they Googled You?

THE USUAL ANSWERS

• Sooooooo many selfies / duck faces

• Passive aggressive posts

• I love this / I hate this

• Memorable information / security questions

• Far too much information about younger relatives

• Birthdays / phone numbers / other personal information

• Stuff I really didn’t need to know

TIDYING UP YOUR FOOTPRINT

TURN OFF LOCATION SETTINGS

• Make sure they are off on all social media accounts

• If you really want to tag your location you can do it for individual posts

• Don’t tag location at home

TIDYING UP YOUR FOOTPRINT

Get rid of unused Profiles

• Bebo and Myspace are still out there

• Remove all the information that you can before closing accounts

TIDYING UP YOUR FOOTPRINT

Review privacy settings regularly

• Remember some only have two options, Private or Public

• Check who can see the things you post.

• Privacy settings change. Things can default back to public.

TIDYING UP YOUR FOOTPRINT

Only post something if you are happy for EVERYBODY to see it

• It’s not always just your friends list

• Bosses

• Parents

• Grandparents

• Younger siblings

• Complete Strangers

TIDYING UP YOUR FOOTPRINT

Cull your friends

• Nobody needs 1000+ friends

• Do you really know all of those people

• If you don’t know a SINGLE person, nothing you post is private!

TIDYING UP YOUR FOOTPRINT

Keep things Positive

• If you don’t have a negative footprint, it can’t be used against you

• T.H.I.N.K. before you post.

• True

• Helpful

• Inspiring

• Necessary

• Kind

TIDYING UP YOUR FOOTPRINT

Keep an eye on your footprint

• Google your Name, Usernames, Email Addresses

• Set up search alerts

• Are you happy with what comes up?

TIDYING UP YOUR FOOTPRINT

A few other things to consider

• What email addresses / usernames do you use? XXsexybeastXX@...... Doesn’t look good on a CV

• What are other people saying about you? (Timeline Review)

• What are you saying about other people?

• Be aware of the things you are revealing unintentionally

TO SUMMARISE

• Be aware of your digital footprint

• Know what you are contributing to it

• Watch out for accidental oversharing

• Know your privacy settings

• Check it regularly

• Treat online posts as you would a face to face conversation

FACEBOOK – CIA PROJECT?

THANKYOU

ANY QUESTIONS? Please feel free to contact me heath1d@gllm.ac.uk