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Have you ever googled yourself?

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Have you ever googled yourself?

Have you ever googled yourself? It may sound strange, but it is a great way to discover a small part of what the web knows and shows about us.

And, most importantly, it’s the only way to know if you need to ask Google to remove relevant personal information that shouldn’t be shared publicly. ESET, a leading proactive threat detection company, shares 7 steps to clean up your online presence and take care of personal data.

In April 2022, Google added new options to remove personally identifiable information from its search engine, including government identification numbers or images, bank details, contacts, personal information, and specific data like medical records.

Of course, Google will not remove personal data contained in news articles or public records databases. This feature is in addition to the previously existing option to request removal of search content that could be used for any type of harm, such as non-consensual pornographic content, images of minors, or copyright violations.

Once something is online, there is no absolute way to remove it. But, from ESET they share some things that can be done to clean up your online presence:

– Search for you on Google. First you need to know everything the Internet knows about you. Search for your name, check the results on the first five pages, and combine the name search with your phone number or home address to see what comes up.

– Check the privacy settings of the services being used. Some platforms, such as Facebook or Twitter, have an option in their privacy settings that allows you to protect your content and contacts from appearing in search engines.

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– Get in touch with the owner of the website. If you want to remove a specific mention on another website, be sure to request it from the owner of that site. Most websites make their contact information available under “Contact Us”.

– Eliminate what is unnecessary. If you’re worried about what the whole world knows about you, you can start by deleting old Facebook posts, tweets, photos, or any embarrassing content.

Also, if you’re aware of the importance of privacy, it’s also important to friends and family, so remove any unnecessary images they appear on.

– Ask Google and Bing to remove personal information. After doing a bit of self-cleaning, use the new tool made available by Google to remove personal information from your search results.

So far, Bing only allows the removal of non-consensual images or broken links and outdated content. If you are an EU resident, please use the Google Right to be Forgotten form and the Bing Search Block Request.

– Think before sharing. Now is the time to plan the future of your virtual life. Maybe you still want to maintain an account on Instagram, LinkedIn, or any other social media platform, and that’s okay.

But go the extra mile, review your privacy preferences, choose wisely who can see your posts, and avoid sharing unnecessary content you may later regret.

– Use a VPN. This added layer of protection will ensure that the connection is encrypted and the location masked. Above all, this will help prevent hackers from poking their nose into your personal information.

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Already in control?

“Does following these steps mean you have full control of your data? Most likely not. But it also depends on the type of user you are. If you’re concerned about your privacy and have a limited social media presence, you can probably eliminate most of your digital footprint. Conversely, if your data is everywhere and you’ve lost count of how many times you used your email address and phone number to log into websites and apps, not to mention all the data related to your online activity that those services sell to third parties, with your consent, probably not. You still have time to limit what people or companies can verify about you. This is important, not only for general privacy, but also to avoid damage that may come from exposing your privacy or personal preferences in the public space”, concludes Camilo Gutiérrez Amaya, Head of the ESET Latin America Research Laboratory.

To learn more about computer security, visit the ESET news portal: https://www.welivesecurity.com/la-es/2022/12/29/datos-personales-internet-como-limpiar-presencia-online/

On the other hand, ESET invites you to discover Conexión Segura, its podcast to find out what is happening in the world of computer security. To listen to it, go to: https://open.spotify.com/show/0Q32tisjNy7eCYwUNHphcw

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