Google CEO offers a solution to online privacy issues: “Just change your name”

Before the Information Age, when a host of social networks began exposing security and privacy issues on the Internet, individuals rarely changed their name. Even now, legally changing your name is typically reserved for marriage, divorce, adoption or if you are a member of the federal witness protection program. However, as members post private information on public-facing social networking websites like Facebook™ and Twitter®, maintaining your identity becomes more difficult. The solution, according to Google CEO Eric E. Schmidt, might be to change your name to escape the permanent record you create on the Web with every click, post and download.

In a Wall Street Journal interview with Holman W. Jenkins Jr., Schmidt, in response to the personal data shared on social media sites stated, “I don't believe society understands what happens when everything is available, knowable and recorded by everyone all the time.” Schmidt predicts that one day the nation's youth will be able to change their names upon reaching adulthood to privatize their life and remove themselves from “youthful hijinks.”

Saving your information

How many times have you switched to a new e-mail address because you received thousands of spam messages a week? Or, perhaps you use a separate address when signing up for services, bill paying or promotions online to keep your standard e-mail inbox free from solicitations.

Whether a youth or adult, Internet users should be aware that every webpage you browse, every ad you click, and every e-mail you send using online services such as Google Mail™ or Hotmail®, are retained. This information is often used for marketing, such as with Twitter, but every application you download on your personal computer or smart phone has the potential to infiltrate your data and pose a security risk.

For example, the new generation of smartphones with global positioning system (GPS) capability gathers your exact location and retains the places you have been. This information is processed and stored, and as with other GPS systems, produces search results of local attractions so you can quickly locate the nearest restaurant, gas station or bookstore.

Users of the Internet may wonder how long this data is stored. In 2008, regulators from the U.S. and Europe pressured Google to improve privacy for users. In response, Google agreed to make IP addresses anonymous after nine months. From a data mining perspective, this meant less data available for marketing purposes, but for regulators, protecting the privacy of Google users was more important than targeting potential iPod® buyers.

Protecting your name

Since changing your name is more difficult than changing your cellular phone number, you might want to take a few precautions and protect your name for your future. To reduce online security risks and potential mistakes:

• Change your passwords frequently for any service you use such as online banking, PayPal®, or social networks.
• Use an alias e-mail address when you are asked to register online. Some groups and even news sites, such as the Wall Street Journal, request a name and e-mail address for registration.
• Don't open e-mail, especially e-mail attachments, from senders you don't recognize.
• Avoid visiting sites with numerous pop-up advertisements. These ads, especially if you click on the flashing link that will take you to another website, tend to place cookies on your personal computer.
• When posting on Twitter or Facebook, keep in mind thousands of eyes could potentially read your post. Avoid travel references, which could be an open invitation for a friend-of-a-friend to stake out your house and rob your possessions when you are away for vacation.
• Refrain from posting pictures of stunts, such as stealing the college mascot, which could lead to disciplinary action or embarrassment.

Having the knowledge that all of your online movements are recorded and saved should encourage Internet users to reflect on their online statistics. By staying informed and taking a few precautions, you could protect your legal name and avoid entering a Google protection program.

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