At the end of this module you will be able to:

Know what you should know about your digital identity and online reputation.

The unit focuses on:

• Doctor Jack e Mister Hyde (Who you are and others on the internet and how to protect it)
• Identity theft: what happens if they steal your identity?
• Account theft: what happens if they use your accounts? Some tips to avoid it.

On the internet you are everything you post and everything you comment to other users. 

Everything you post online can be seen by other users.

Even if you can set the privacy settings where you post to "friends only" or similar, a person who wants to see your post has ways of getting it.

Not because people can’t see you, you could act different because you are behind a screen. 

Unlike in real life, anything you post on the internet has worldwide exposure.

This means that people from all over the world can find out about you, and likewise, you can find out about people from all over the world.

A scammer can research many more people and choose his victim more carefully. This and other factors make online scams more and more common.

A person who illegally access to your account can perform many malicious actions.

At best, they can impersonate you to make compromising or illegal posts.

 At worst, they can impersonate you and talk to your acquaintances or family, telling them that you have a problem and need money, thus scamming them. Identity theft does not only affect you.

Another bad case is if someone has access to your bank details, they could start online shopping or transactions and steal money.

If this ever happens, try to talk to the support of the platform where your account has been stolen, change passwords, notify those affected, and if the thief has been able to make a purchase, notify your bank as well.

Identity theft does not only affect you!

Another bad case is if someone has access to your bank details, they could start online shopping or transactions and steal money.

If this ever happens, try to talk to the support of the platform where your account has been stolen, change passwords, notify those affected, and if the thief has been able to make a purchase, notify your bank as well.

There are a few things you can do to avoid account theft:

- Don't save passwords on any device, try to remember them.

- Try to use different passwords for different sites. If someone finds out your password for one platform, they won't be able to access other sites.

- Don't use your name, username, or other personal information on the platform that makes it easier to find out.

- Use passwords longer than 8 characters, and use a number or special character to avoid brute force attacks to find out your password.

Never share your password online, even if a person tells you they are a moderator, administrator or support staff of a site.

Indeed, you also have to be more careful about what you pulish on social media.

Try to publish as little information about yourself as possible, especially sensitive information, identification details or bank details.

Important information that you should NOT share publicly could be:

- location where you live

- Email address

- Phone number

- compromising multimedia content

- Personal documents

- Information on your bank transactions

- Salary information

- Passwords of any kind

Account and identity theft

Avoid logging into accounts on other people's computers, especially public computers.

Many platforms support two-step authentication, e.g. using your phone number, use it when you have the opportunity.

What goes online, stays online forever. What you post, what you say, how you behave, will be available to everyone, including: possible future employers, your family and children and your friends. And not just now, also in the future