With the rise of the computer, technology in general and the ability for people to log their every movement, thought, feeling and meals to be immortalized in text or photograph on a digital platform, there is an entirely new realm of possibilities when it comes to protecting private information from invaders.
According to Lindsey Nyquist, social media director at Fort Lewis College, ideas and expectations of privacy are always changing with every generation.
Younger people in the world today are digital natives, and they are more technologically savvy, Nyquist said.
Users in the past were not media literate and had a tendency to post about everything, but that is changing, she said. Younger generations are taking a swing back towards privacy and protecting their digital footprint.
A person’s “digital footprint” is all the information about them that can be found publicly online, Nyquist said. This can include anything from articles a person was involved in, blog posts or public social media profiles, which may contain photographs and textual statuses.
People should be aware of the personal information that is publicly available online, Nyquist said.
There may be posts that users are unaware of that might not be something they wish to have online and these may come with severe consequences, she said.
Sometimes employers will do what is called an “online pre-interview” for a potential employee, Nyquist said. It involves performing internet searches of a person’s online profiles to see how they conduct themselves.
If a person’s unchecked online information is inappropriate or otherwise in poor taste, it may lead to that individual not getting the job, Nyquist said.
This does not mean that one should avoid having a digital footprint at all, in fact, this is becoming increasingly more difficult to do, she said. Everything that is posted becomes permanent on some level, and everything is public in some way.
Instead, people should take advantage of the digital footprint, and use every opportunity to cast themselves in a positive and professional light for anyone who matters that might be looking for information, Nyquist said.
People should search themselves every once in awhile and find out what can be found online about them, Nyquist said.
“Don’t be stupid,” Nyquist said, “Think about things before you post them.”
Whitney Gonzalez, a former web help technician at FLC’s information technology department, said concepts of privacy are changing.
With the internet and social media websites growing in popularity, as well as an increase in devices being used by virtually everyone, people are putting out more personal information, such as addresses and phone numbers than ever, Gonzalez said.
Gonzalez said keeping your information private is of a greater concern than ever, as more and more people are saving their information on digital devices.
Keeping that information safe is not a guarantee, even if it is on your personal device, she said.
Safety is definitely an issue, she said. Hackers can get information from any personal device very easily, so it is better to keep sensitive information in a physical form.
“I personally don’t save any information of that kind on a computer,” Gonzalez said.
There are a number of steps people can take to keep their information private, she said. Having an active firewall and having an anti-virus system up to date is also important.
This will keep third-party programs such as viruses with keyloggers, programs that measure every keystroke and therefore everything a person types, away from that information, she said.
According to Matthew McGlamery, director of the IT department at FLC, protecting online privacy is important and something that more people should be aware of.
As we progress deeper into the digital age, people are tending to care more about online privacy than they previously did, and with good reason, McGlamery said. As it becomes more convenient, people are using the internet more to handle business, such as online banking and paying bills.
When posting or using online services for business, first evaluate the risk involved: Evaluate whether you should do it or not and where you should do it, McGlamery said.
Stay weary of public devices and manage your own devices well, keeping a close eye on
accounts being accessed, especially financial accounts, he said.
Most of what people can do to protect themselves boils down to how they are handling their information and how cautious they are being, McGlamery said.
“You’re the last line of defense,” McGlamery said.
Never forget that the only thing that comes between your information and the people who want it is your own level of caution, he said.