“Google Me!” – How To Hide Your Digital Footprint
Everything is online! Games. Comics. Movies. Shows. Homework. Friends.
If you put all of it together, you create what’s called a digital footprint, which is a lot like leaving a sneaky trail through the woods.
By following your footprints, anyone can figure out who you are, where you live, and even the places you go to buy your after-school snack supply.
We don’t always know who’s looking for us because they’ve done a good job of staying anonymous, but now you can too if you know the basics:
1) Use nicknames! Posting your identity on comment threads allows searchers to Google your name to find out other online sites you frequent.
2) Ask before posting! Friends might not want their names or faces to appear alongside identifying info. Ask their permission before you post anything (especially if it’s that realllly embarrassing pic, you know the one.)
3) Think before posting! Things online cannot ever be fully deleted, even if you think you’ve erased them. Pictures, comments, high scores: they all get cataloged on a huge database that, with the right tools, the wrong person can pick apart and use for anything they wish.
Once someone knows how to find your online info, they can track back through profiles to learn phone numbers, addresses, even class schedules.
Then they can find YOU.
Bonus Tip: Random Passwords!
Choose crazy passwords that no one could ever guess—APPLE TAXI BATMAN 99 or even something like E2W3d35F6. Hopefully it’s one that you won’t forget, and that you can keep secret! Names of pets, family members, birthdates or favorite things can be easy to figure out if someone follows your digital footprints.
So even if you surf in socks, you can still be followed through the web! Cover your trail… and maybe wear your shoes backwards! Or…
About the Author
Mike Mike travels to schools with his program, DON'T WAIT® to UnMake A Bully, and helps students write and produce their own anti-bullying or character education movies. He is a regular in NY, WA, CA and recently Melbourne Australia schools. Previously, he produced the youth Sci-Fi web series 'eScape' which is now on several web TV platforms, has done cinematic work on games like 'Guitar Hero', and produces television and theatrical works.
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