This post was originally published on here
Follow ZDNET: Add us as a preferred source on Google.
Do you know who’s looking at your old Tumblr? Your abandoned Flickr account? Or your posts from five years ago, casually sitting on your public X profile?
They could stay buried in the graveyard of forgotten accounts. Or, they could make you vulnerable the next time someone decides to do a deep dive on you and your online history.
By now, most adults are likely used to living some portion of their lives online.
Also: Did your logins just get leaked? How to check online for free (and what to do next)
In fact, there are about 5.7 billion social media users worldwide, and the average user bounces among roughly seven accounts every month, according to Sprout Social.
What’s true now, as it was in the early days of social media, when horror stories spread about people losing jobs because of an unfortunate photo dump the morning after a wild evening, is that our digital footprints are growing and require regular maintenance.
“Whether you’re going for a new job or whether you’re dating somebody, or maybe you’re signing a deal or whatever it might be — it is quite common for people to try and find information about another person,” said Luke Thompson, founder of Signal Advisory, a UK-based reputation management firm. “Clearly, Google and social media is the place to do that.”
It’s not just about maintaining a squeaky-clean online presence, either. Thompson also pointed out that fraudsters can use the information they find on the internet about you to strengthen phishing attacks, catfishing, identity theft, and more.
Also: You can tell Google Search to remove your personal IDs and explicit images now – but there’s a catch
Either way, it might be time to take stock of what, exactly, is linked to you online.
Here are five tips for auditing your own digital footprint — and making sure that what’s out there is what you actually want people to find.
1. Search yourself
One of the first and most obvious steps is to see what comes up when you put your name into a search engine. Open an incognito window in your browser and make sure you’re signed out of all your personal accounts.
Thompson recommended not only searching for your name in quotes, but also searching with likely associated keywords, such as your university or past employers.
Also: How to record an iPhone call (and where and when it’s legal to do so)
Go at least 10 results pages back, and check not just the web search, but the image search.
As dominant as Google is, there are other places, such as people search sites like Intelius and Spokeo, that might have personal information on you. Many of these sites offer ways to opt out by submitting a request.
2. Make a list of your accounts
On the topic of search engines, Thompson said it’s worth remembering that, depending on your profile settings, something you post on a social media platform might appear in a web search result.
“Whatever you post on social media is not just confined within those walls,” Thompson said.
Also: The best data removal services: Delete yourself from the internet
A Facebook profile picture or public X post, for example, could get hoovered up by Google.
And if you’re someone with a smaller digital footprint, a regrettable older post could end up much higher in a search ranking than you’d prefer.
As you dig deeper into your self-audit, try to list every account you can remember creating. That includes old email addresses that may be associated with past accounts.
That list will come in handy when you start reviewing each profile’s account settings, old posts, and more.
3. Check your privacy settings
Speaking of which, one way to make sure some questionable posts from college don’t define your online presence is to check your privacy settings for each platform.
Thompson recommended going through your various accounts and making sure your privacy settings are as tight as you need them to be.
Also: How to spot an AI image: 6 telltale signs it’s fake – and my go-to free detectors
Don’t forget: Platforms regularly update security and privacy settings, so it’s a good idea to double-check what might be toggled on or off.
While you’re at it, review whether there are any third-party apps like games, quizzes, or even dating apps that might still have access to your information.
4. Look at what you’ve posted – and who has posted about you
Even with your privacy settings cranked to the max, that doesn’t mean you’re in the clear.
Someone might be able to view your profile through a mutual connection. So, regardless, scroll back and decide which posts might need to be deleted.
Also: How to protect your privacy from Facebook – and what doesn’t work
“Private doesn’t necessarily mean that you’re invisible,” Thompson said, “There might be profiles within your network or accounts in your network that have information about you, but you don’t own or control them.”
Check posts you’ve been tagged in. For younger folks in particular, your parents or other family members might have been the first to create your digital footprint, posting photos of you as a child. There might even be a hashtag on Instagram associated with you. You might have to untag yourself or ask to be removed.
Aside from going back over posts and photos, also review who you’re following and who is following you. Are you following accounts that you would be OK with your boss knowing you followed? And do you actually know everyone who is following you and has access to your profile?
Also: Stop accidentally sharing AI videos – 6 ways to tell real from fake before it’s too late
It’s also important to remember that some platforms, like X, show which accounts you’ve replied to.
And if you haven’t already logged out of your accounts, do it so you can check what someone might see, even if they’re not a friend or follower.
5. Think about what you do want people to find online
Though conversations around maintaining your digital footprint often revolve around what not to post, or which posts or dormant accounts to delete, it’s just as crucial to consider what you do want people to find out about you.
Also: I’m a tech pro and an AI job scam almost fooled me
Thompson called it building resilience. You might create a personal website or focus on a platform like LinkedIn to highlight professional accomplishments, or curate your personal brand — even if you’re not expecting to have hordes of people Googling you every day.
“It doesn’t matter if it’s 100,000 or one person,” Thompson said, “You want them to find the right information.”
