myidentity

If you’ve surfed through this site you know that young Canadians are among the most wired in the world – you prefer the Internet to libraries by a factor of 10 to one and use it for so much more than an educational tool. Among other things, you use it to stay connected with each other and make new friends.

You also know now that the Internet can be the least private of spaces. Whether you’re participating in an online chat, posting a picture to a blog or an invitation on a social networking site, you know that others can capture that information and use it for their own purposes.

It is important to protect your identity and to be aware of the identity you are creating.

The reasons for protecting your identity are obvious, since we are constantly hearing that identity theft is on the rise. Phone Busters National Call Centre reports that over 12,000 Canadians had their identities stolen in 2005.

Now think about why you need to be aware of the identity you are creating. Social networking sites are great – basically they are an online bulletin board for your life where you can fill out a profile containing information about your age, hometown, school, likes and dislikes. You can post pictures, favourite songs, links to things you love – friends can post comments and pictures and it’s a great way to stay connected.

But did you know that the privacy policies vary on each site? Some are totally public, meaning that anyone can read or look at anything, anytime. Others allow you to regulate who gets which level of access to the site and who can have access to your information. Millions of young people who use these sites expose themselves to unnecessary risk by leaving personal details open for all to see.

And did you know that it’s almost impossible to permanently delete something once you’ve posted it? You need to think about what you say online and about each picture of yourself that you or one of your friends posts. Here’s a good way to think of it: if you don’t want a future college/job/internship/scholarship/ or sports team interviewer to see it, don’t post it publicly!

Here are some quick tips on how to protect your identity when you’re participating in social networking sites and posting content online:

• Put everything behind password-protected walls where only friends can go
• Protect your password and make sure you really know who someone is before you allow them on your friends list – don’t accept friend requests from people you don’t know in real life
• Read and understand privacy policies, and use the privacy controls that are available
• Be discreet about what you post online – remember, what you post stays online forever so if you don’t want future job and college interviewers to see it, don’t post it!
• Blur or morph your photos a bit so they won’t be abused by cyberbullies or predators
• Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your parents, principal or a predator to see
• Don’t do or say anything online that you wouldn’t do or say offline
• Protect your privacy and your friends’ privacy too – get their OK before posting something about them, or their picture, online
• Check what your friends are posting and saying about you – even if you are careful they may not be and this could put you at risk