Digital identity
Digital identity is all the online information and data specifically about an individual.
Digital identity is made up of elements that fall into four categories (source: Lionel Maurel / Fadhila Brahimi):
- Authentication elements: identification number, IP address, email address, user name, password, last name, first name, alias, etc.
- Data: personal, administrative, banking, occupational, social data, etc.
- Identifiers: photograph, avatar, logo, image, etc.
- Digital traces: contributions to blogs and other content management systems, links, etc.
“Managing your digital identity” means monitoring the use of these elements.
Caution
The elements that make up your digital identity may be potentially used for harmful purposes. For example:
- Your photographs, texts, etc. are used without your consent and in a context with which you do not agree
- Your personal information is collected by companies without your knowledge
- Your digital identity is used to damage your reputation
- Your information and data are used by a fraudster
In particular, a fraudster may:
- Spy on your communication to obtain personal information and impersonate you
- Use the information you post online to guess your password and access your computer
How can you protect yourself?
- Be aware of your digital identity
- Keep in mind that once an element of your digital identity is posted on the Internet, you lose control of it
- Do not post any personal information on the Internet
- If you have to create a user's profile, always use an alias
- Manage your profiles to find out what traces you have left and where
- Create safe passwords
