As I nervously typed my name in the google search field, I wondered what my digital footprint would look like. I thought any traces of my digital footprint would be minimal. I usually have all of my account setting set to private and felt confident that I would not find much; I was wrong.
I searched my name on Google, "Vivian Cantu," and found information on various sites. Some I knew could be listed in public domains, but others I had not thought of. What I found was very interesting.
The first site that came up with my name was LinkedIn. My undergrad professors urged me to create an account to network. It was part of a grade for one of my courses; I have not updated anything since 2021. I only have my education and Honors and Awards posted. I was surprised but not shocked to find my account. To see my complete profile, one would have to join LinkedIn. However, I found more than what I wanted to be public.
The second thing I found through my search was my Google Classroom Link on my campus district homepage. The hyperlinks are empty. Our Librarian is supposed to update our information but has yet to be able to. The reality of finding myself at my school campus website was unsettling.
I usually opt not to post my donation information publicly, but this one came up. It was made public when I let the organizer know I had donated. I was even more surprised to see the amount that I had donated also posted. I never knew that if you donated through GoFundMe, it would be made public to everyone.
The search brought unexpected findings; I belong to a Fantasy Football League and have been a member for over twenty years. I had no idea that my standings would be made public. Luckily My team had an appropriate name.
As I further searched, I was able to find information on Spokeo. It was scary to see that the people I was not related to were listed as possibly related, along with my spouse and children. My maiden name was also listed as part of my alias.
This one, I have to admit, I didn't even think about being public. I will have to change my privacy settings. I may have a lot of pins on Pinterest, but I do not follow anyone. I rarely log on to my account now at days, but the mere thought of it being out there is, as mentioned before, unsettling.
Since my maiden name came up as an alias, I decided to conduct a vanity search on google for that. Other than possible contact information, a post I made on my high school teacher's obituary came up. I was saddened to read what I had posted and surprised that after fourteen years, the post was still accessible online.
As I mentioned earlier, I thought I was doing a pretty good job setting my account privacy settings to private. As I continued to conduct my vanity search for any additional photos, images, or videos that contained me, I was not able to find any pictures or videos of myself. I searched using Safari and Bing as well. I noticed several searches that came up with possible matches for several of my family members and my sibling's ex-spouses. There were also old phone numbers and my current address listed and available for sale. I found that both disturbing and disgusting.
It was interesting to see that the information I posted was available to the public even if a significant amount of time had passed. If there was one thing I learned, I definitely have a digital footprint. There is no such thing as complete privacy. It is essential to be careful of the things that you post online. There will definitely be personal information available to anyone for sale online.
This opportunity to conduct a vanity search was eye-opening. It will be essential to have my students perform a vanity search, and I will also read the book The Technology Tail: A Digital Footprint Story by Julia Cook. to them. The way we conduct ourselves online will definitely follow us for many years.
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