Ten tips to protect our digital identity

• S2 Grupo has pointed out that identity theft, physical or digital theft, or loss of work, are just some of the consequences of problems in protecting our digital identity.

• Some recommendations are to periodically search the Internet to find out what digital identity we have, not to make publications that could compromise us in the future or to correctly configure the privacy of our accounts.

Valencia, February 23, 2023.- The cybersecurity and critical systems management company S2 Grupo has warned that it is essential to protect our digital identity because it can have important consequences in our personal, work or family environment, among others.

These can range from losing a job, directly not being selected as a candidate for a job offer, being a victim of identity theft, digital and also physical theft (for example, when we report where we live and where we are at every moment, it is easy to know when no one is at home), etc.

"In this context, we need to be aware that protecting our digital identity is just as important as protecting our identity in analog life. Many people believe that a comment, a criticism or an opinion on social networks is of no consequence, but this is not so. Everything we publish is recorded and shapes who we are in the digital sphere and this can have important repercussions, perhaps not at the time, but after a few years we may regret something we publish", said José Rosell, managing partner of S2 Grupo.

"Our digital identity is shaped by all the information we publish on the Internet, comments on social networks, registration on online pages, registration of personal data, photographs, video, when we say where we are going, with whom, etc. And everything on the Internet leaves a trace. Just because we have deleted it does not mean that it has disappeared. That is why we have to protect what trace we want to leave and how to make it safe for us", explained Miguel A. Juan, managing partner of S2 Grupo.

Ten tips to protect our digital identity

Given the importance of this issue, S2 Grupo experts have highlighted ten recommendations that can help us protect our identity on the Internet:

1. Use strong passwords and change them periodically.

2. Modify the privacy of our profiles on social networks according to their purpose .- For example, perhaps we have a professional profile in which we only share topics related to this field and which we leave completely public. However, we can have a very private profile to share more personal or recreational issues.

3. Update apps .- This step is essential to avoid vulnerabilities in programs and applications that are exploited by cybercriminals to gain access to other people's information.

4. Do not make compromising publications .- Everything we publish leaves a trace on the Internet. Even if we do it under a name other than our own, it is possible to find out who is behind the profile. Therefore, posting photos, videos or comments that could put us in a delicate position in the future, is something that once done we will not be able to remove even if it seems that it does not appear because we have deleted it. The first rule to protect our digital identity is not to publish anything that could harm us.

5. Don't be part of hoaxes or fake news .- Nowadays, we share news because they are attractive to us and without checking them. When these are false, we have contributed to one of the great dangers of disinformation, which is often caused by cybercrime. This also shapes our digital personality.

6. Choose privacy options on social networks appropriately .- Decide who can see what.

7. Log out whenever we access our accounts from other people's computers.

8. Do not post content copyrighted by others, as this could lead to legal problems.

9. Check our digital identity periodically looking for information about ourselves .- S2 Grupo recommends doing this several times a year. We can look at Google or networks, for example, to be informed about what information about us appears on a regular basis.

10. If your digital identity has been damaged, ask for help .- Notifying the authorities and/or organizations that deal with cybercrime will help us and give us the support we need to respond to complex situations such as cyberbullying, sextortion or identity theft, for example.