Electronic Footprints

Do you worry about your electronic imprint? Maybe you should.

71% of 14 to 21 year olds do (Information Commissioner's Office, 2007).

Have you ever googled ('to google' was added to the Merriam-Webster dictionary in 2001) you or someone else? It's becoming increasingly common for employers to look at an employee's social networking profile, or to simply google the employee's name. 

Teenagers are being warned about the danger of sending sexually explicit pictures of themselves to others, as one the photo/ video gets out of the control of those it is intended for, it is impossible to get it back... And could wreak havoc in the now, but also in the future; once something is on the internet (because it is so broad) it is impossible to take it down or get it back.

Anything you participate in can be put on the internet, with photos and details. I recently participated in a model UN activity, as it turns out, nearly all of the details from that are on the internet. This blog is one of the hits when I'm googled, along with a photo of me when I was on a radio broadcast ~1 year ago; I hadn't realised that it was posted on the net! 

As a result teens especially are being asked to be careful what they create and post on the internet, as the future repercussions may be much greater than expected.

"The cost to a person's future can be very high if something undesirable is found" - David Smith, ICO.

References:

BBC technology news, 2009. Young warned over social websites. [Online] (Updated 23rd of November, 2007)
Available at: http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/7108627.stm [Accessed 4th of October, 2009)