Reflecting on my Digital Identity

1. How many of the first 10 hits are links to pages about you (rather than people with the same name)

According to Google Search, only one of the first 10 hits are links to the pages about me.

"Googling Myself"

• Why do you think were there so many or so few hits about you?

I believe that there were so few hits about me because I am not a celebrity or anybody important. I have yet to make important contributions to the society. Furthermore, I have yet to do anything remarkable to the world.

• Would you prefer to have more or less hits, and why?

I prefer to have less hits because I need to protect my privacy from other people. This is essential to protect the safety of my family and I. Having less hits can prevent a breach in my privacy because I only want to share my personal information to people I know, not total strangers or people with malicious intent.

• What might the benefits of having lots of hits on Google be in the future?

I can promote my products with my fame. I can also promote my business and my works to the public easily. I do not need to introduce myself to others that often. My family and friends will also be famous and they can also reap the benefits of being famous.

• What potential downsides are there to having many hits on Google?

The potential downsides of having many hits on Google is that my privacy can be invaded and my personal information might fall into the wrong hands. People might ruin my reputations by making memes and slander about me. I might end up being the victim of cyber bullying. 

• Explain why your Google-presence may help or hinder you getting a job after your degree.

If my Google presence shows my good attributes, my future employers might consider them, hence increasing my chances of being employed. If my Google presence shows my worst attributes, my employers might not employ me as they do not want me to ruin the reputation of their companies.

1. (Have you thought about setting up a Google Alert so you receive e-mails whenever Google finds something new listed under your name?)

No, I have not thought about setting up a Google Alert so I receive e-mails whenever Google finds something new listed under my name.

Facebook

• What information is available on this public profile? Are there photos visible? Are your interests visible?

Yes, my photos are visible, but my interests are not visible. The only information that is available on the public profile is my friends on Facebook.

• What makes you uncomfortable about the visibility of this information, and why?

I am fairly comfortable with the visibility of this information. I have not revealed sensitive information about me and any controversial views.

• Explain why you would be happy/unhappy for a potential employer to see this page.

I would be happy for a potential employer to see this page as I have not exhibited my worst attributes or my misdeeds on this Facebook page.

• What group of people can see posts that you make in the future?

The public can see posts that I make in the future.

• If it is public, are you happy that everyone on Facebook can potentially see everything you write?

I am not happy that everyone on Facebook can potentially see everything you write. I felt that my views should only be shared with people who I can trust, not anybody. Whoever sees my comments must have my consent.

• If it is Friends of Friends, what are the implications of posting to a relatively large group of people that you may not know?

The implications of posting to a relatively large group of people who I may not know is that I will not have control over my post as I can only delete the original post, not the duplicates. I might not be able to control who has the post and the distribution of the post. Also, people might unintentionally share the information people who have evil intents.

• Who can look you up and can search engines link to your Timeline? Who could potentially see your Timeline if this is set to On?

The public can look me up and search engines can link to my Timeline. Anybody can see my Timeline if this is set to On.

• How many apps are listed as having access to some or all of your data? How many do you remember authorising?

None of the apps are listed as having access to some or all of my data. I do not remember authorising any of the apps to my data.

• Do you trust all of those applications to use your data responsibly? Why?

No, I do not trust all of those applications to use your data responsibly. I do not like strangers who observe and analyze my behaviour, which erodes my privacy.

• If one of these applications were bought by another company, would you consider removing the app from Facebook? Why?

Yes, if one of these applications were bought by another company, I will certainly consider removing the app from Facebook, because I do not want my biometric data and my personal preferences to be exploited by other people.

• You may want to remove some apps if you will not use them in the future (e.g. you may choose to remove Reppler - "TrustedID Social Network Monitor"

Yes, I want to.