In today’s digital age there are actually two of you. There is the flesh and blood you, that you are all-too-familiar with, and then there is the digital you, which amounts to a profile of yourself, compiled of data that is collected and exchanged by companies all over the internet. The worst part is how little you may know about your digital self.
We have not yet reached the point where you and the digital you can meet and battle it out like in a cheesy sci-fi movie, but you can use an app called DeleteMe to view your online profile and remove it from online databases. DeleteMe can be a valuable resource, especially if your online profile is inaccurate. This is because many of the major institutions that make big decisions about your life will first consult your online profile, and if your online information is not accurate, then it will make your real life more difficult.
A few examples of these major life decisions that can be wrongly influenced by an inaccurate online profile are: your credit score, insurance premiums, your ability to obtain loans, and the prices of items when shopping online. Your “digital you” will even factor into whether or not an employer will hire you. In fact, many colleges are aware of the impact that a student’s online presence will have on their job search. To improve the chances of graduates landing a job, many colleges are now working with them to clean up their internet presence.
Your “digital you” is a rather detailed picture of your life based on a combination of your internet browsing habits and your public records. Your online profile is likely more revealing than you would like to be, telling unknown data company’s information like:
- Where you are from and where you have lived.
- The names of your parents and children.
- Your net worth.
- Your religious and political affiliations.
- What websites you have visited.
- What items you have shopped for online.
- What articles you have read.
The DeleteMe App lets you take a look at your online profile that data companies associate with your name. DeleteMe offers the viewing of your online profile as a free service. This will allow you to see if you are at least being represented correctly, because there is always a chance that another internet user’s profile has gotten mixed up with yours by the hundreds of data brokers that exchange information. After using DeleteMe to search for your name, DeleteMe will go ahead and remove one entry on any data broker site for free.
If you wish to remove more of your entries from an unlimited amount of data brokers, then you can purchase the DeleteMeMobile app which will give you a three month subscription for $24.99. You can go to https://www.abine.com/marketing/deleteme/signup/index.php to sign up for a 1 year plan for DeleteMe’s web service, starting at $129.
In today’s digital world your online privacy is very important. Vantage Point can offer you and your company several privacy solutions that will keep your identity safe. Call us at 225.242.9309 and ask us about our many security solutions that will protect your network from hackers and computer viruses that target your identity. We will also be happy to show you best practices that will limit the amount of personal information that is shared with data brokers from your web browsing. Call Vantage Point to have someone you trust keep an eye on the data collecting groups that you do not trust.
Source: vp 400