How your online data can be used against you on TikTok

While social media platforms are essential for our personal and professional interactions, they also pose significant risks that can have severe consequences. Despite the fact that it is impossible to prevent someone from attempting to harm your reputation, you can take steps to make it more challenging for them to do so.

How your online data can sabotage your reputation and safety

Damaging your online reputation can negatively impact your ability to form friendships in a new community, as well as your chances of achieving your dream job.

A Career Builder study found that two out of three hiring managers check candidates' social profiles before hiring. But it gets worse, as more than half of recruiters rejected a candidate based on their social media presence. Additionally, the dangers of having personal data online extend beyond just the risks of being rejected for a job.

• Identity theft and fraud
• Stalking and harassment
• Doxxing and swatting
• Scams and phishing attempts
• Data breaches

Identity theft, cyberstalking, and data breaches are more common than you might think. The Bureau of Justice Statistics estimates that around 10% of Americans were victims of identity theft within the year prior to their research, and for 1 in 5, it has happened at some point in their lifetime. A recent data breach at National Public Data might have exposed the Social Security numbers of every American. BJS further reports that 3.4 million Americans were stalked in one year, and 69% of those cases involved the use of technology. Being anonymous online isn't just about comfort; it's about safety. Fortunately, you can take steps to protect your personal information on the web.

Erase your digital footprint and protect your privacy

It's not entirely true that once something is put on the internet, it remains forever. While it is challenging to remove content on your own, professional services can help. These services not only delete existing data but also prevent new information from appearing online. To remove your digital footprint from the web, consider the following steps.

1) Remove yourself from people search sites

You'll need to be prepared to put in some work if you want to take on the task of rewriting the input sentence. Most of your data is stored on what are known as people search sites, which are large databases of personal information, with some containing more than 300 million individual records.

Sites that publish private information, including contact details, family, colleagues, and sexual orientation, are often targeted by scammers. The less information that is publicly available, the harder it is for bad actors to exploit you. Fortunately, you have the ability to request the removal of your personal data from these sites. Each site has its own process, but they generally follow a similar pattern.

• Visit the people search site, e.g., Whitepages
• Rewritten sentence: Look for an opt-out form (often found in the site’s footer) to unsubscribe from receiving promotional emails.
• Search for your personal information and select your profile
• Confirm your identity and wait for the data to be removed

2) Invest in professional data removal services

Opting out from data brokers individually is feasible, but with numerous brokers, it becomes a daunting task.

Protecting your privacy online is an ongoing process that requires regular monitoring and frequent opt-out requests. Despite successfully removing your profile, it may reappear later due to data brokers continuously collecting personal information. Check out my top picks for data removal services.

3) Remove yourself from Google search results

• Remove your personal information and images from Google
• Adjust social media privacy settings and remove old accounts to prevent them from appearing in search results.
• Delete your trail of website comments
• Blur your house on Google and Apple Maps

Unfortunately, you can't remove content from Google search results directly. You can submit a removal request, but Google must approve it first. If your request is denied, you'll need to contact the site owner and ask them to take it down. However, your options here are limited. Once bad actors get hold of your data, it's difficult to regain control. That's why it's so important to stop stalkers from accessing your information in the first place.

Additional tips to safeguard your online reputation

Be mindful of what you share on social media and adjust privacy settings to control visibility.

Keep track of your online presence by setting up Google Alerts for your name.

To prevent unauthorized access, consider strengthening your passwords, enabling two-factor authentication on all accounts, and using a password manager to generate and store complex passwords.

Be cautious with links and attachments. Avoid clicking on suspicious links in social media posts, emails, or messages as they may lead to phishing sites or malware downloads. Verify the source before opening any attachments, especially from unknown senders. If in doubt, contact the purported sender through a separate, trusted channel to confirm the legitimacy of the link or attachment. Additionally, use strong antivirus software and keep it updated to provide an extra layer of protection against potential threats.

To safeguard yourself from malicious links and protect your private information, it is recommended to install antivirus software on all your devices. This software can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe. Here are my top picks for the best 2024 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android, and iOS devices.

Kurt's key takeaways

Our online presence is constantly under attack from fake TikTok profiles to data breaches. However, we can make it harder for bad actors by taking control of our digital footprint. We can do this by removing ourselves from people search sites, using professional data removal services, and being more mindful of what we share online. Our online reputation is not just about social media likes; it can affect our job prospects and personal safety. Therefore, it's important to evaluate our online presence and determine if it's serving us or leaving us vulnerable.

How do you think social media platforms should protect your privacy and prevent impersonation or harassment? Share your thoughts by writing to Cyberguy.com/Contact.

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