About Larry Magid
For the last two decades, Larry Magid has become synonymous with technology. His syndicated technology columns appear in the New York Times, U.S. News & World Report and other publications. He can be seen regularly on CBS News. And now, Mr. Magid will be featured at staysafe.org. We are pleased to bring you his technology expertise and hope you check back often for more of his insights and articles.
What Does the World Know about You Online? - Part 1
by Larry Magid
A famous cartoon from the New Yorker shows a dog sitting in front of a computer telling another dog, "On the Internet, nobody knows you're a dog." But now, thanks to the Internet, everyone knows everything about you. Or at least they might be able to find out.
Online reputations are increasingly important in the workplace, in school, and even in social life. Search engines make it easy to find information about most anyone, especially if that person has been active online. With the rise of social networking sites, more information is available than ever before. Whether it's someone you want to date, a potential employer, or a college admissions counselor, if there's information out there about you and they want to find it, chances are that they can.
Information Online Forever
Once something is posted online, it can be accessible forever. What was cool, funny, or innocuous at age 16 or 18 could prove embarrassing or even damaging when you're 24 or 42. Even if you delete something, anything you post could be "cached" or stored by search engines. The Web site www.archive.org operates the "way back machine" that resurrects old versions of Web sites, even if content has changed or been removed.
If you don't want to share information with the world, don't put it on a public Web site. If it's something that you absolutely don't want to share, don't even post it on a private profile or send it via e-mail.
In addition to what you post, be aware of what others are posting about you. On ConnectSafely.org, a social networking safety site I help to operate, a distraught husband and father recently posted that he was being publically humiliated on an online profile maintained by a bitter former girlfriend. Unfortunately, there isn't much he can do about it. Though rude and mean spirited, what that ex-girlfriend has posted appears to be constitutionally protected speech. Because it doesn't violate the terms of service, the social networking company that hosts the profile will not take it down.
In some situations, you can get a social networking site to remove information about you if it is libelous, lewd, racist, or otherwise in violation of the company's terms of service or the law. If you feel you are being victimized on a social networking site, report it to that company's abuse department. Feel free to post a notice on ConnectSafely.org so that staff can investigate and try to remedy the situation.
Next: Information Online Forever
