The longest living man, according to the Bible, was a man named Methuselah. He died at the astonishing age of 969. Wildly, Methuselah only barely outlived the first man, Adam. According to the Bible, Adam died at the youthful age of 930. The is as close to immortality that I can conceive in my human mind, and it is my worst nightmare. Please don't get me wrong; my life is rooted in my Christian faith, and I want to have eternal life one day. But in Heaven. Eventually, with God. Not on earth, immediately with humans. My nightmare has come true, though, and my immortality has arrived simply by clicking a mouse. Through my daily internet use, I have created digital tattoos, and whether I like it or not, they are here to stay.
Digital Tattoos
Image Source: Wikimedia Commons
Similar to the personalization, and permanence, of skin tattoos, a person's digital tattoo is compiled of individualized information that is found online. This information is collected from sites we visit, searches we conduct, purchases we make, and details found on our social media accounts. When compiled, these particulars form a digital identity for each of us. The accumulated data can be extremely personal, and once uploaded onto the web, it is archived forever. Juan Enriquez warns that "we are all threatened with immortality today because of electronic tattoos." For most adults, we have voluntarily contributed to the formation of our digital image, but that is not the case for our students. A 2016 statistic states that "92% of American children have an online presence before the age of two." Before students were able to give permission or an opinion, their road to immortality began. So, how can we discover what image has been created for us on the worldwide web? Conducting a data mine is one way we can uncover "the truth."
Data Discoveries
Discovering your digital image takes time, persistence, and investigative digging. In efforts to get the best results, I researched several websites for my data mine. I used different variations of my name: married, maiden, both with and without my middle initial. I also used usernames from my varying social accounts. To increase the accuracy of my results, I conducted an Incognito Google Search using Google Chrome. I performed an additional search, not incognito, using Safari. The sum of my results fell into four categories: positive, neutral, negative, and absolutely shocking.
Image Source: Giphy.com
Positive
In my general searches on Safari and Google, the number of listed results never exceeded 2,600. This was a relief because a previous data miner found this type of search to produce 26,000 results. I was happy to learn that I was not that popular. π My Google search found complimentary statements mentioned about me at a school board meeting last year, and a positive review I wrote for an event planner. The search even pulled a notice from a newspaper in Rochester, MN, announcing the birth of my oldest daughter. The post was a treasurable find.
Neutral
The first sites that came up during my Google and Safari searches were Pinterest and Facebook. Those results seemed pretty harmless. Google Images did not have any photos of my face. It did, however, have a picture of my mother-in-law, taken from her obituary, which had my name listed among her survivors. The search also produced a newspaper post from 2000 that listed my marriage license.
The Negative
There was SO much personal data about me. Instant Checkmate had my full name, my current age, the name of my now ex-husband, the names of my two oldest children, one cousin, and my paternal grandmother. It also listed me as male. Odd. The site contained all of my former addresses in the Chicagoland area, as well as one in Michigan. I never lived in Michigan. Spyfly listed the current town I live in, a long list of extended relatives, and associated me with a random man named David Curtiss. Our last names aren't even spelled the same! Mylife gave out all of my previous personal business as well as my religious views, and listed my political party as Republican. I voted for one...maybe two Republican candidates; how does that erase all of the Democratic candidates I ever voted for? The site even listed my old minivan and former neighbors. Peekyou did not have any correct information about me. Spokeo was unique in that it listed the dates I moved OUT of all my previous residences. All of the dates were wrong though. Radaris and BeenVerified had information similar to the other websites.
Lastly, remember the "harmless" results of Facebook? Well it turns out that my private account has been public for the last however many years. Anyone on the internet has been able to look through every picture I have ever posted on my Facebook account. That is "not-so-harmless," and my account is now private. Yeesh!
And the ABSOLUTELY SHOCKING
So this next piece of information took the prize. As I mentioned, family members associated with my name included extended relatives. As a matter of fact, the same extended relatives appeared on my search results several times. Three of these relatives had yellow triangles next to their names on BeenVerified; these triangles signaled that each of these people had a record of criminal activity. Then I saw bold red letters. I AM ON A GOVERNMENT WATCH LIST! What?!
Image Source: Personal Photo
Guys, I do not have any record of criminal activity. That doesn't matter though, because as the smaller print indicates, I have guilt by association. Simply being a family member...of a known suspect qualifies me for this list. The last line on this page gives a warning, Attention: This information could change people's opinions about you. You think?!
Finishing on a Positive
To end on a happy note, my search results pulled up a very cute coincidence. Apparently my maiden name is pretty trendy, and I found several women with whom I share this part of my identity. The descriptions of these women included a prominent New York therapist, an inmate sentenced to prison for murder, a poet, a YouTuber, a social worker, and an Etsy shop owner. It turns out, the New York therapist recently graduated from Fordham University, located in the Bronx. This year I took my youngest child out to the Bronx to begin her freshmen year at Fordham University. What a fun coincidence!
My Thoughts
The results from my data mine have left me with a variety of emotions. It was unsettling to see the vast amount of personal information openly displayed for anyone to read. I also did not like how powerless and exposed I felt because of it. It was downright alarming to learn my maiden name is on a government watch list. I also feel overwhelmed considering if, and/or what, actions to take to rectify the situation. How do you fix something that feels so unfixable?
Teaching high school students how to complete a data mine on themselves would be a very useful skill. It would be especially useful for those preparing to move into post-secondary opportunities. Students need to know their identities as they appear on the internet. Their digital identities may impact college acceptance or future employment. Teaching this skill successfully would require an educator who is highly qualified in this area. But parents need to be a part of the process too. After learning how to data mine, high school students may be tempted to conduct searches on other people. If schools and parents collaborate, the chances of this occurring may be reduced, and overall, students can improve in managing their digital identities. Some schools host a Parent University in the fall; data mining would be an exceptional topic to add to the course list.
The cost of immortality is much higher than we realize, and the value of an identity is immeasurable. Digital tattoos are permanently here, and can never be completely removed. We need to choose wisely and carefully the undying imprint we want the world to see.
Additional Resource
The Terrifying Costs of "Free Websites" (Video: Some Adult Content)
