Member-only story
How Are You So Easy to Find on the Internet?
The ways you share your personal information that’s gathered by data brokers and internet cookies
All of us have no choice but to exist online, in some capacity. We’re tethered to the digital infrastructure via our email addresses, mobile numbers and/or social media accounts. A recent large-scale reminder of our digital attachment occurred on October 4, 2021 when Facebook and its services were down for over 5 hours.
Remember the days when usernames were whatever you wanted and not attached to an email address or phone number? It’s likely pre-app technology era. And that’s definitely pre-Y2K.
The entry point starts with your name and place of employment. The interweb machine doesn’t need much to retrieve 5 personal details about you:
1. Your photo
2. Your industry/job position
3. Your public engagements, e.g., papers, talks, videos, social media accounts
4. Your email
5. Phone number
Feel free to stop reading here, go to your favorite internet browser and look yourself up. Come back when you’re ready.