They call it “ego surfing” – when you sit down in front of the computer, go to Google (or whatever search engine you prefer), and find out what information there is about you online. I do it quite often – not out of a sense of egotism – but out of a desire to control my online presence and to make sure that I am presented in the best possible light if anyone searches for me. Along the way, I’ve discovered that my name is shared by an Australian rugby player and a Scottish museum director, who regularly shove me out of the way in Google Alerts.

But there is another very good reason for “Googling” yourself – to find out if any private and sensitive information about yourself and / or your family has ended up online somehow.  Maybe you accidently changed your Facebook privacy settings and your mobile phone number is now public? Or maybe a disgruntled former friend or colleague is bad mouthing you online?  Both of these scenarios have happened to me in the past and speaking from those experiences, I can assure you that these are things you need to be aware about right away so you can do something about it.  At the very least, too much information about you online can lead to a serious risk of your identity being stolen.

Our infographic today is on this very subject. After looking it over, let us know your thoughts on the subject, and then do yourself a favour this weekend.  Google yourself and make sure that we are not finding things out about yourself that shouldn’t be found out.  Remember, what goes on the Internet stays on the Internet – for a very long time.

Infographic Source: www.backgroundcheck.org
Image Source: Betobeto