Data Searching Myself and My Thoughts

 

I value privacy. One of the things that I'm a massive fan of is having my own space. It may be because I'm naturally introverted, but the idea of people knowing things without my permission is my worst fear. I ensure that all my social media are private or under a different name. I know what social media is like and respect and fear it. I attempt to make my Digital Tattoo as small as possible. I don't want people to know everything about me. 

It's interesting because I know that someone's digital tattoo can have an impact. I've seen successful people lose a job because they weren't careful. So, maybe I'm just a bit more cautious; everyone can access your information, and that idea scares me. 

Doing a data search on myself was a nerve-wracking experience. At first, I was confused about how to do it. What am I researching? I started with Google, which I thought was a safe bet. Finding my Instagram account took me a moment, but I finally found it. 

Image From Google

While hoping to find more information about myself, I realized that my Instagram is private, and I don't have a picture of myself on my profile. I felt grateful for this, but it cut my Google search short. I tried searching for my other socials, but they were difficult. 

After that, I decided to try Facebook. Facebook and I have a push-and-pull relationship. I sometimes use Facebook, and then I close the app. I mostly use it for my job, so I used my business Facebook to find myself. Knowing my username made this search easier. This search made me realize how private I am on social media, which made me more nervous about the later searches. 

After Facebook, I decided to look for LinkedIn. My theory for LinkedIn is that I have more of a presence there because I want to be found. I was surprised by how quickly I found myself on LinkedIn, and the reason is that I want companies to be able to research me. My Digital Tattoo on LinkedIn has had more impact than I expected. 

Image From LinkedIn

After I had completed the regular social media searches, I decided to dig deeper. I wanted to know how much of my data is truly accessible. I started with ZabaSearch. While initially excited, I did not find anything of note. The only thing I saw was my name and my current age. Although I did not get as much data about myself as I expected, my curiosity got the best of me. I wanted to know more and see how much space my digital footprint took.  

I used Fast People Search, Truthfinder, Nuwber, and Familytreenow.com in rapid succession. Was I nervous? Of course I was. What if I had a past I did not know about? While waiting for the results, I wondered why these sites existed. The idea of finding data about yourself is terrifying, but it is useful. Knowing that information can be accessible to everyone is a reality of the Internet, but you can limit the amount of information people can find. 

Nervously, I checked my results. I wasn't prepared for what I found. For one thing, it was way more than I expected. These sites had data on my family, my schooling, job titles, my past houses, and some of my social media accounts. How much information do I have out in the open that I don't realize? It felt like a strange invasion of privacy. No matter how cautious I've been, even the most basic information can be found about you. Once data is out there, it stays out there. 

We take privacy for granted and expect privacy in our private lives, but social media is a different story. Everyone has a Digital Tattoo, even if you are the safest person on the planet. There is both comfort and fear in that. 

So when you're online, be careful with your data. Keep it safe, secure, and fed. Otherwise, you will never know how huge your Digital Tattoo will be.