A version of these slides are used in my Going Social programme workshop, Your Digital Identity, for staff and postgraduate researchers at the University of Leeds.

1. Are you feeling lucky?
Your digital Identity
Kirsten Thompson
Twitter @iamKirstenT | K.Thompson@adm.leeds.ac.uk
Going Social

2. This workshop provides an introduction to
managing your digital identity, taking account of
University guidance. It is not intended that the
workshop will focus on how to use any specific
platforms or websites; instead the focus will
concentrate on evaluating current practice,
reflecting and planning.
About

3. By the end of the session you should be better able to:
1. Identify what contributes to your digital identity
2. Recognise the key issues relating to digital identity
management and public digital communications
including; conduct, privacy, security and personal safety
3. Recognise the benefits and challenges of managing
personal and professional digital identities
4. Review and manage your digital identity
Outcomes

4. 1. Digital identities
2. Risks
3. Review + manage your digital identity
Outline

5. 1. Digital Identities

6. Digital identity is…
…the network or Internet
equivalent to the real identity
of a person or entity (like a
business or government
agency) when used for
identification in connections or
transactions from PCs, cell
phones or other personal
devices.
(Last accessed 11/09/17 at: https://www.justaskgemalto.com/en/what-is-
digital-identity/)

7. Some more definitions…
Digital footprint
Everything you post about yourself online.
Digital shadows
The items other people post about you.
Digital legacy / Digital stamp
A permanent collection and culmination of your
digital footprints and digital shadows.
Erik Qualman, What Happens In Vegas Stays On YouTube – PRIVACY is DEAD.
The NEW rules for business, personal, and family reputation.

8. Your digital identity =
everything about you
on the web
Verified / non-verified
– both important

9. Creating an
account on the
social web is a
choice.
Having a digital
identity is not.
We all have a
digital footprint /
stamp.

10. Who
manages
your digital
identity?
Some
examples…

11. This was posted on Twitter during a
conference presentation #NoEscape
Your connections…

12. I ended up on
Snapchat during
a conference…so
I put it on
Facebook, to
make a point.
You?

13. Some companies
create profiles for
us using public
information on the
web (web
harvesting/
scraping) =
inaccurate and
merging identities.
Businesses…

14. Gov’t…

15. Hackers…
Last accessed 11/09/17 at: http://www.npr.org/sections/thetwo-
way/2017/09/07/549296359/hackers-accessed-the-personal-data-
of-143-million-people-equifax-says

16. The Wayback Machine
- archived over 332 billion web pages
from 1996 – think about the
implications for your digital footprint
How could you use the Wayback
Machine?
http://archive.org/web/web.php

17. What will you find?

18. Are you feeling lucky?

19. You can
manage your
digital identity,
you cannot
control it

20. 2. Risks

21. What else are you +
your connections
sharing?
1. Over-sharing personal information
2. Location services
3. Social media privacy
4. Facebook ‘friends’?
5. Mobile contacts: are you
unknowingly sharing your
online/active time? e.g. WhatsApp
6. Mobile + email contacts: sharing
THEIR data with third parties?
7. Mobile + device security
8. Internet activity
9. WHOIS database

22. Using Email
Do you use the same e-mail address to manage all
your social media + other accounts (utilities,
subscription services, shopping etc.)?
Are you merging personal, professional + institutional
social profiles?
Follow-up activity
Start collating your online + social media A/Cs + the
email addresses associated with them. Consider
using a password manager to securely store the data.

23. "Insta-bragging“
28 July 2017
…posting boastful images of your
holiday on photograph app Instagram
[or any other platform] –
could invalidate a contents insurance
policy.
…insurers include a "reasonable care"
clause which, although generally
related to making sure windows and
doors are locked, could in future extend
to being responsible with what you
share on social media.
Last accessed 09/11/17 at: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/money/consumer-
affairs/insta-bragging-could-soon-invalidate-insurance

24. Fraud / ID theft
Performance crime
IP / copyright theft +
license breaches
Data breaches
Hacking, malware,
ransomware, viruses
Phishing
Harassment:
Impersonation
Cyberstalking
Trolling
Revenge porn
Sextortion
Doxing (collating +
elevating your
personal info)
Dogpiling
(organised group
attack to
encourage you to
retract your
opinion)
Hate speech
Catfishing
Cyberbullying

25. Who do you trust?
https://youtu.be/1xp4M0IjzcQ

26. How easy is it to steal your ID?
https://youtu.be/Rn4Rupla11M

27. Sextortion
https://youtu.be/kgKIZjzoLLQ
http://nationalcrimeagency.gov.uk/sextortion

28. Fraud
With almost 1 in every 2
crimes a fraud or
cybercrime*, individuals are
more likely to be a victim of
this crime than any other.
* The Office of National Statistics (ONS)
Crime Survey of England and Wales now
estimates that fraud and cybercrime
now account for almost six million
offences.
https://cifas.org.uk/insight/reports-trends/fraudscape-report-2018

29. Fraudscape 2018 report findings
https://youtu.be/2y6FS-nnzVI

30. When things
go wrong on
social media…
some
examples

34. All the compromised accounts were attacked through their use
of a popular third-party analytics service, Twitter Counter.
https://www.theguardian.com/technology/2017/mar/15/twitter-
turkey-accounts-hack-tweet-swastikas-pro-erdogan

35. Case: Lord McAlpine falsely accused
Alleged offence: Libel
Case: Twitter users name victim of (alleged) rape
by footballer Ched Evans (later found not guilty)
Offence: The Sexual Offences (Amendment) Act
1992
Case: Social media users circulated alleged
pictures of child killer Jon Venables
Alleged offence: Contempt of Court
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20782257

36. 3. Review +
manage
your digital
identity

37. What can YOU do to
manage + protect
yourself online?

38. Start thinking like a search engine –
be the top of your own search
results.

39. Use Google Alerts
to keep updated on
what others are
saying about you
(personally, your
work, project etc.)
on the web. It won’t
search everything,
but can assist in
managing your
digital identity.

40. Consider…
• Fragment your digital ID: use multiple email A/Cs
• Consciously share online
• Review + cull existing online accounts (email, social + other)
• Cull your Facebook friends or limit their access
• Beef up your security: strong + unique passwords (+ change
them), 2 factor authentication + use a password manager
• Unsolicited communications + links (if in doubt, don’t click it)
• Know how to get help (info in the handout I will email you)

41. Also consider…
• Check + monitor your privacy settings, browser settings,
online data, terms + privacy of apps + platforms
• Internet security: use private networks + VPNs
• Device security: automatic updates, anti-virus, anti-malware,
back-ups, remote wipe lost/stolen devices, lock screens,
take care of data + belongings in offices
• Report + block offensive behaviour (Paladin advise against
blocking stalkers - electronic communications = evidence)
• Get advice from IT, police + specialist orgs if you’re a victim
of cybercrime

42. https://actionfraud.police.uk/report_phishing
Report scams…

43. https://haveibeenpwned.com
Have you been pwned?

44. https://www.friendsagainstscams.org.uk
Join Friends Against Scams

45. http://it.leeds.ac.uk/security

46. Keep updated
http://it.leeds.ac.uk
https://www.sdduonline.leeds.ac.
uk/socialmedia
http://www.legislation.gov.uk
www.thatsnonsense.com
https://www.getsafeonline.org
http://www.hoax-slayer.net