Your digital identity is not just your username and password. It’s much more than that. Your digital identity contains the basic information on a birth certificate, social security card, or driver’s license. In addition, it includes everything about who you are.
The purpose of a digital identity is to allow you access to everything you need. Passwords protect your online accounts, but your digital identity informs the world of who you are.
Your current digital identity will help determine future employment opportunities, business relationships, and even how much money you can borrow for a mortgage or car loan.
Here are three things that everyone should know about their digital identity:
- Who you are is a digital identity
Everything about you is in your digital identity, from your age and gender to your height, weight, and marital status.
More importantly, your digital identity includes all of your personal information, including your Social Security number, current, and prior addresses, phone number(s), education level, and employment status. It also includes criminal records, credit scores, financial transactions, and family background.
- What is in your digital identity
Your digital identity contains everything you’ve done since birth – from education records to criminal history, medical records, and more.
You should periodically review your digital identity profile to see everything it contains. If there is information you feel isn’t relevant, you should request its removal.
It goes without saying that all of this is extremely sensitive information. You should know who has access to it, including family members, employers, and companies you do business with.
- Protect your digital identity
Your
digital identity is constantly being used by businesses, government agencies, and others. You have to protect it, so the information remains accurate and up-to-date.
You can protect your digital identity by staying informed about what companies are doing with your personal information. You should understand the financial and personal risks of sharing it.
We also recommend maintaining strong passwords on all of your online accounts. Make sure they are entirely different from one another so hackers can’t easily access everything you own online.
Maintain strong passwords on all of your accounts and change them every two to three months.
Review and update your digital identity regularly. Make sure it is accurate and up-to-date.
Don’t share personal information online that you don’t need to disclose.
Your digital identity will soon be your most valuable information
It won’t be long until everything about you is online. Soon your digital identity will be the single most important thing someone can access. This, in turn, will make it even more important to protect your digital identity.
Until then, take the proper steps to maintain its accuracy and safety. Know how businesses and government agencies are using it. Understand the risks associated with sharing personal information online. Be aware of who has access to your account information and regularly change your password. You should also keep an eye on your credit to ensure no one is fraudulently using your identity.
Everything that you are can be found in your digital identity. Make sure it is safe and accurate so that you can get the most out of everything technology has to offer.
