ICT has revolutionized the world in so many ways. In communication, e-commerce, stocks trading and global business, making the world more interconnected in so many ways than was ever imagined. With the onset of this age, came the onslaught of the hackers. Information became a commodity for sophisticated black markets. Bio-Data, credit card information, Insider trading news and the lot is traded to the highest bidder and at astonishing prices due to their value. Suddenly privacy becomes the greatest issue on the digital frontier. Getting secured on the internet will be discussed in a different article.
It is trendy to upload loads of information about our lives and about others via social media. Statistics shows 6000 tweets are posted each second globally. Meaning on the average 350, 000 tweets are sent per minute and 500 million tweets per day. Facebook which is the most used social media platform records a whopping 350 million photos uploaded per minute, 4.75 billion items shared and 4.5 billion likes daily on the average worldwide. This staggering amount of information we volunteer to the outside world creates impressions and reputations about ourselves. Once information reaches the internet you lose complete control over who has access to it and how it is used.
Once data is sent to the internet it is usually replicated to multiple servers and geographic regions leaving the user with no control. This makes deleting data from the internet particularly difficult. The Dark web also known as the deep web, so named because of its invincibility to the ordinary web browsers, is an area of the internet where control is an impossibility. Hackers target and steal passwords from servers of major internet companies leaving the accounts vulnerable. Lately hackers use Key stroke logging devices that monitor and steal passwords of their targeted victim’s PC as password information is being entered, just by connecting the logging device to the same power source of their victim’s PC. The point here is that there is nothing like total privacy.
Once data is sent to the internet it is usually replicated to multiple servers and geographic regions leaving the user with no control. This makes deleting data from the internet particularly difficult. The Dark web also known as the deep web, so named because of its invincibility to the ordinary web browsers, is an area of the internet where control is an impossibility. Hackers target and steal passwords from servers of major internet companies leaving the accounts vulnerable. Lately hackers use Key stroke logging devices that monitor and steal passwords of their targeted victim’s PC as password information is being entered, just by connecting the logging device to the same power source of their victim’s PC. The point here is that there is nothing like total privacy.
I've succeeded in convincing you of how unsecured your data is so I’ll move on to how it’s used in your favor or against you. A simple search on your full name should link you to lists of websites bearing your details or another person who has the same name as yours. Whether the results were positive or negative depends on what information was given up earlier. Its best to be known for reasons that advance your interests and long term goals.
In a practical example, a recruitment exercise ended up with the best candidate being turned down from employment for his racist posture on the internet. Another candidate could be turned down for being linked to questionable immoral behaviors which could affect the company image. In recent news Manny Pacquiao lost a celebrity endorsement to becoming a brand image for Nike because of his comments against homosexuality on twitter and other social media channels. Nike later claimed Manny’s actions didn’t advance their vision as a sport brand which didn’t discriminate on any faction of society. A hack on your account could also enable the hacker or perpetrator post degrading and negative information to tarnish your reputation.
There are several avenues that could paint you in the light that advances your goals. A popular example is LinkedIn. It’s a website that connects people to things that matter in their professional circles. It allows them to be easily searched and shows detailed profiles of who they are and their skills. Your social media presence should also reflect your interests and goals. Finally, being responsible, avoiding internet abuse and most importantly staying secure is very essential to maintaining a good internet footprint.
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