There is a saying that says “be careful what data you put on the internet because once it is up there, it is there forever”.
For some this may be the first time to hear this, others hear it and don’t understand and only a select few really comprehend the extent of this message.
By the age of 15 to 16 a large majority of us can “google” ourselves (try it) and get back some search data.
While you may find a newspaper article of the running race you won as a kid, you may also find data or photos of you doing unsavoury things.
Later in life, repeating this process will not only show more data but you most likely have changed as a person.
As a 35-year-old police officer, that photo of you spray painting at the skate bowl doesn’t truly represent you any more.
Worse yet, should you apply for jobs within government, charity or politics (and many other businesses), chances are someone will do this google search.
So you proceed to go through and delete the “bad stuff” from content you control like Facebook
This does remove it from your viewable profile and some other places, however it isn’t completely gone.
Not only does it live on in some aspect of that application, chances are it has a home somewhere else around the internet.
Whether it is that your mates used it to make a funny meme, it is shared in some external forum or simply just kicking around as a bit of detached data. While not impossible to completely remove, it is beyond the reach of most of us.
Think of it like a tattoo and be sure of your choice before making it.
If you one day desire a career under the public eye keep it on the safe side.
Privacy information session
Protecting your personal information is becoming increasingly difficult in the minefield that is online shopping and e-services.
Bundaberg Region residents can have their questions answered when the Office of the Information Commissioner (OIC) hosts a community engagement session later this month.
OIC staff will host the session at the Bundaberg Regional Council service centre from 1pm to 3pm on Wednesday, 29 May 2019.
