Managing Your Digital Footprint Shauna Cox

2012 National BDPA Technology Conference

August 1 – 4, 2012 Baltimore, MD

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Purpose and Objectives

• Discuss considerations for protecting sensitive information.

• Understand ways to leverage electronic assets to benefit your “digital profile”.

• • Understand strategies for

managing your online reputation.

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Agenda

I. What is a digital footprint?II. Strategies for protecting

informationIII. Leveraging your footprint for

personal brandingIV. Action plan for post-sessionV. Questions

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Session Structure

Part 1: Risks & ProtectionPart 2: Personal Branding

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What is a digital footprint?

• Data trail produced by activities in cyberspace

• Content generated by online action

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Components of Digital Footprint

• Email Communications• Social Media Profiles• Online transactions• Web surfing activity• Cell phone / Smart Phone tracks

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Examples of Digital Footprint Content

Blogs

E-mailsPhotosText

Messages

Sites Visited

Videos

Social Networkin

g Posts

Phone ActivityTablet

Activity

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• Most large cities have surveillance cameras.

• 1 out of every 5 passwords are simple and easy to guess

• Hackers typically take less than 4 minutes to enter a system

• Some experts estimate Internet crime costs Americans @ $1 trillion / year

• Over a 2-year period (2007 – 2009) identity theft incidents rose by 37%

“You already have zero privacy. Get over it.”

Scott McNealy former CEO Sun Microsystems

Source: Online Privacy by Stephen Currie

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Risks

• Fraud Victimization• Identity Theft• Poor Reputation• Harassment• Invasion of Privacy

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Managing Risk

• Stay current on privacy policies• Use appropriate authentication

standards• Avoid using debit cards for online

transactions• Limit credit card use online (e.g., low

limit cards, gift cards or prepaid credit cards)

• Beware of social engineering techniques• Educate yourself on how data is used

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Rules of Engagement

• Separate business & personal cyber activities

• Utilize strong passwords and PIN numbers {Example: Iluv3ewe}

• Utilize encryption where appropriate

• Assume no “expectation of privacy”• Utilize built-in privacy settings (but

do not assume 100% protection)

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Rules of Engagement

• Reveal information on a “need to know” basis

• Never reveal private information in a public place

• Execute consumer transactions cautiously

• Properly discard electronic equipment (e.g., cell phones, computers, etc.)

• Utilize different passwords for different purposes

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Personal Branding

• Personal image• Self presentation

Definition:“…a promise to a…well defined audience, combined with the actual experience these individuals have with the brand [you].”

Source: Managing Brand You

by Jerry S. Wilson & Ira Blumenthal

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Digital Profile Personal Branding

Digital Profile•Collection of cyber tools used to present you•One component of personal brand•Key to building online reputation

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Digital Profile Tools

• LinkedIn• Facebook• Google+• Twitter• Pinterest

• YouTube• Blogs• Personal Web Site• Professional

Organizations (e.g., online profiles)

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Building a Digital Profile Tips

• Determine your digital identity and learn your niche.

• Complete your profiles based on your personal brand.

• Encourage endorsements.• Be judicious in what networks you join.• Leverage others’ digital profiles.

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Rules of Engagement

• Separate business & personal profiles

• Utilize built-in privacy settings• Limit sharing easily exploitable PII

(e.g., birth dates)• Assume your digital profile is

permanent • Make your online brand consistent

with your offline brand• Assume all online information is

accessible

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Rules of Engagement

• Keep online communications positive

• Present yourself professionally• Use proper grammar, etc.• Clear visuals

• Monitor your digital profile

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Managing Your Digital Profile

• Set regular time intervals to monitor & clean up inaccurate information

• Set time aside to optimize your profile

• Use automated tools to monitor your profile

• Use search optimization techniques

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Inaccurate or Unflattering Information

1. Ask posting party to remove the information

2. If removal does not occur, dispute information publicly (if appropriate)

3. Engage “reputation” specialist4. Optimize profile / reputation with positive

information5. Execute legal recourse if necessary

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What’s Next? (Action Plan)

• Review your existing footprint• Determine what you want your digital

profile to be (Prioritize components)• Build / Optimize your profile• Develop profile management /

monitoring strategy

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Reality

• Many employers / potential employers check online information

• Clients, potential clients, colleagues, etc. check digital profiles

• Laws / legislative environment typically trail the advancement of technology

• Everyone has or will have some interaction in cyberspace

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Questions

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Contact Information

Shauna Cox

Chicago Housing Authoritys_cox_tech2011@yahoo.com

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Resources

Books

• Managing Your Digital Footprint by Stephen Currie• Online Privacy by Robert Grayson• How to Disappear: Erase Your Digital Footprint, Leave

False Trails, and Vanish without a Trace by Frank Ahearn

• Social Networking for Career Success by Miriam Salpeter

Web Sites / Organizations• Privacy Rights Clearinghouse (www.privacyrights.org)• ACLU (www.aclu.org/technology-and-liberty/)• Electronic Privacy Information Center (epic.org)• Federal Trade Commission (www.ftc.gov)