Just as technology brought many advantages, it also brought new
dangers
.
Because every comment posted on social media, every news article shared, and every successful online purchase
leaves a mark
.
This data trail reveals important information about your life:
from who you are and the things you like
, to statistics about your movements in the online world.
One way to find out a small part of what
the web knows and shows about us
is to Google yourself to find out if you need to
ask it to remove relevant personal information
that should not be shared publicly.
In early 2022, Google added new options to
remove personally identifiable information
from its search engine, including government identification numbers or images, bank details, contacts, personal information, and specific data like medical records.
Of course, Google will not delete
personal data
included
in news articles
or
public records databases
.
This feature is new and added to the existing option: the removal of search content that
could be used for any type of damage.
For example: non-consensual pornographic content, images of minors or unauthorized use of copyright.
Technology has brought many benefits to everyday life, but it has also created new dangers.
Photo: Shutterstock.
Although once a text or an image is online there is no way to eliminate it, the company specialized in proactive detection of threats, ESET, shared
7 steps to clean up your presence on the Internet
and
take care that
relevant personal data
is not shared publicly.
1. Search for you on Google.
First you need to know everything the Internet knows about you.
Search for your name, check the results on the first five pages, and combine the name search with your phone number or home address to see what comes up.
2. Check the privacy settings of the services being used.
Some platforms, such as Facebook or Twitter, have an option in their privacy settings that allows you to protect your content and contacts from appearing in search engines.
3. Contact the website owner.
If you want to remove a specific mention on another website, be sure to request it from the owner of that site.
Most websites make their contact information available under “Contact Us”.
4. Eliminate what is unnecessary.
If you're worried about what the world knows about you, you can start by deleting old Facebook posts, tweets, photos, or any embarrassing content.
In addition, privacy is also important for friends and family, so it would be good to remove any unnecessary images in which they appear.
5. Ask Google to remove personal information.
After doing a bit of self-cleaning, use the new tool made available by Google to remove personal information from your search results.
Until now, Bing, Microsoft's web search engine, only allows the removal of non-consensual images or broken links and outdated content.
6. Think before sharing.
Now is the time to plan the future of your virtual life.
Maintaining an account on Instagram, LinkedIn, or any other social media platform would require you to go the extra mile: review your privacy preferences, choose wisely who can see your posts, and avoid sharing unnecessary content you may later regret.
7. Use a VPN (virtual private network).
This added layer of protection will ensure that the connection is encrypted and the location masked.
Above all, this will help prevent hackers from poking their nose into your personal information.
In 2022, Google added new options to remove personal information from its search engine.
Photo: Shutterstock.
At the end, the Head of the ESET Latin America Research Laboratory,
Camilo Gutiérrez Amaya
, concluded that following these steps does not mean that you will have full control of the data, it
will also depend on the type of user you are.
"If you're concerned about your privacy and have a
limited social media presence
, chances are you can eliminate most of your digital footprint. Conversely,
if your data is everywhere
, and you've already lost count of how many times you've used your email address and phone number to sign in to websites and apps, it's likely not."
"However, there is still time to
limit what people or companies can learn about you
. This is important, not only for general privacy, but also to avoid harm from exposing your privacy or personal preferences in a public space." , maintained Gutiérrez Amaya.
LN
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