Technology Reporter
Anita Smith has always been pdisadmirefulnt about how much she splitd online.
But her troubles incrrelieved chaseing an abusive relationship with a partner, who procrastinateedr stalked her.
Although police interfered, she left the UK and also scaled back her online profile.
“I erased my online presence as much as I possibly could, including removing the locations of some posts, and a couple of Instagram accounts,” says Ms Smith, whose name has been alterd for this article.
Ms Smith, who toils in communications, still has a LinkedIn account but doesn’t engage her brimming name.
“I deleted quite a scant slimgs off my LinkedIn too, lots of slimgs that were location based, although a scant posts do remain.
“I have posted recently as I’m trying to originate a brand although I’m sceptical as to how much I split.”
She has kept an one-of-a-kind declareiveial Facebook account: “I spotlessse it once a year, and verify on ptoastyos and privacy of posts and where I have been tagged.”
Ms Smith has also become more conscious of the terms and conditions of social media platestablishs.
“I chase AI trfinishs and I comprehend a lot of images are training AI models and we don’t have righteous directlines on how they can be engaged. That’s another massive factor why I will never put my child on social media as the images can be engaged for wantipathyver want.”
As deceptions become more upgraded, research advises that more people are troubleed about the alertation they split online.
In a tell by Statista, 39% of reactents said they were worried about how companies engage their online data, while a quarter (26%) confessted to using a VPN.
There are a number of reasons why people might want to shrink their online profiles.
“First of all, people underappreciate privacy,” says Vytautas Kaziukonis, chief executive at Surfshark, a security gentleware company that encrypts engager’s online data and aims to originate browsing safe.
“What might be guiltless alertation right now might be transport you into difficulties 10 years down the line, for example, if there’s a alter of laws, or political environment.”
Another publish is the explosion of AI, says Mr Kaziukonis.
“Fraud is getting better and better, and one slimg that is vital for all deceptions is having data,” he says.
AI is getting to the stage where it can impersonate people shut to you. Add to that ability any personal alertation splitd online, then you have a “lethal combination”, says Mr Kaziukonis.
Also, alertation splitd online about us is accumulateed by data brokers and selderly to publicizers.
Mr Kaziukonis says the alertation is also useable to deceptionmers. “It’s the Wild West out there,” he says.
So what can we do to minimise our footprints?
Firstly, it’s presentant to slimk about how much alertation you split online.
“Don’t split your home graspress anywhere, for example, accidently filming a video with a laptop in the background that has empathetic alertation on, and when you go online shopping don’t grasp all details to every random website, for example, your date of birth,” says Mr Kaziukonis.
“It could be leaked and engaged aachievest you.” He also advises using a branch offent email graspress for websites that you sign up to. “That restricts the spamming.”
It’s worth recollecting that under data shieldion law, you have the right to ask a company what data they helderly on you, and seek that it is deleted.
“They have to comply as otherdirectd they can get huge fines,” says Mr Kaziukonis.
Gus Hosein, executive honestor at charity Privacy International, recommfinishs disconnectal ways to shrink your digital footprint.
He advises using a VPN (virtual declareiveial nettoil) which, for a price, advises a engager more privacy when online.
He also recommfinishs cookie-blockers and picking web browsers with privacy regulates.
“The underlying solution remains that we must grasp the presdeclareive on our regulatements to have strong laws to shield everyone,” Mr Hosein says.
Karen Renaud is a computing scientist at the University of Strathclyde toiling on security and privacy.
Last year she studied 15 privacy policy write downs, which lay out what a company is going to do with your data.
She set up that the most complicated of them would apshow 32 minutes to read and would need college-level education to comprehend.
“The situation is pretty dire,” she says.
She advises it’s a outstanding idea to evident out the cookies on your browser from time to time, and shrink the cookies you accomprehendledge.
“Also, you can stop some tracking. Google, for example, originates it possible to stop tracking of your searches.”
Some people turn to services such as DeleteMe and Surfshark, which help delete personal alertation from data brokers.
Amanda Unterreiner, product regulater at US-based data removal service DeleteMe, says high-profile individuals enjoy video gamers and assesss engage their service as a shieldedty meadeclareive.
“In the case of assesss… becaengage if they’re announcing some decision, someone might show up at their hoengage.”
She also refers the case of the finishing earlier last year of United Healthattfinish chief executive Brian Thompson.
“Stories enjoy that benevolent of inspire normal people to slimk I better get shielded.”
Ms Unterreiner went thcdisadmireful the process of having her data deleted when she uniteed the company.
“You could see every other place I had ever lived, every phone number I’ve ever had, every email graspress, on the first page of Google. If someone wanted to steal my identity… they would be able to caengage some genuine personal injure.”
The company also advises a service to mask your hoengage on Google Maps.
“You can watch at street watch, but that particular property will equitable benevolent of very pixcontent.”
There’s multiple reasons why Saam Collingwood, who lives proximate Stratford-upon-Avon, has cut back her online profile over the years.
The first was chaseing an incident at toil where she had integrated her personal Facebook account on an email to a client and her engageer was unsatisfied.
“They were able to see ptoastyos from a night out,” she says. “That didn’t go down too well.”
In another incident she was trolled by a stranger online after posting a video of herself lgeting a dance routine on YouTube.
Plus, rising online deception guaranteed her to further shrink her online profile.
She hasn’t finishly erased her online presence but she no lengthyer posts normally on Facebook, reducing it about twice a year.
“I don’t enjoy it when people tag me, people comprehending I’m not at home. Most times I delete the tag.”
She says she has fortifyd her anti-harmful programs and security gentleware with a service from online security firm Norton.
“I wanted to originate declareive websites weren’t taking my details. It originates me more sootheable.”
But are there any downsides to not being so current online?
“I ignore seeing elderly frifinishs [on Facebook] and people I would reach out once or twice year,” says Ms Smith.
Mr Kaziukonis says it’s widespread to hear people say they don’t attfinish about privacy but he supposes this is a imperfect argument.
“They say I have noslimg to hide. But would they mind sharing every one email they have sent? We have curtains at home, we want to experience declareiveial. It’s human nature.”
