Digital traces, here’s how to erase them

It is almost a parallel life that we have on the web and on social networks, a life made up of meetings, relationships, activities, experiences that we regularly recount and document. Everything we do on the net leave a trace and it is often not a problem, quite the contrary. These testimonials are useful to know what we do, to know our skills, to rediscover or strengthen old and new contacts.

But what if someone talks bad about us online? If untrue information ends up on the web, personal photos and videos that shouldn’t be seen? The issue is not just about the invasion of privacy, it is also there a reputation issue to protect and even real criminal activities linked to blackmail and extortion.

“These topics are talked about too little and there is one poor awareness by people about the real risks involved in using digital tools, ”he tells us Sveva Antonini of Digital Protection. “When users come to us, they are often lost, sometimes even upset, worried about their reputation and in need of help erasing the digital traces that create problems.”

Tutela Digitale is a company that specializes precisely in providing inspection and removal services of texts, articles, photos and videos that have escaped our control. To turn to the Bolognese company there are many professionals and entrepreneurs, doctors, lawyers perhaps ended up in judicial investigations for which either they had nothing to do with them or completely acquitted but still have their name inserted in articles and comments.

Among the customers of Tutela Digitale, however, there are also victims of cyberbullismo, di revenge porn, of sexual blackmail carried out by criminal professionals. There are even children who turn to the company founded by Sveva Antonini and Gabriele Gallassi asking that the photos of them posted by their parents be removed from the web.

«The traces we leave online are so many but not all, fortunately, are indelible“, tell us Gabriele Gallassi. “Our job is precisely to help people eliminate content from the network that is no longer relevant or adequate, but also those that have been used without our consent, even more so if it damages their reputation”.

«The important thing – continues Sveva Antonini – is that they exist both legal and digital tools to proceed with the elimination of these contents and that often good results can be obtained in a short time. If there are no particular problems we speak of few days, in the simplest cases even a few hours ».

Precisely to meet these needs, Tutela Digitale has developed LinKiller, web platform and mobile application, which allows in a simple and fast way, the elimination or de-indexing from the network of contents deemed harmful and defamatory. Once the application has been downloaded, it is necessary to register through a fast and intuitive system, indicate the unwanted link and monitor its management on the web in real time.

Since the birth of LinKiller, Tutela Digitale has solved numerous cases with a success rate that is around around 85%. About 3,500 articles have been removed from the web applying the right to be forgotten.

In addition to the technological aspect, that of people’s skills remains fundamental. The professionals of Digital Protection, legal and reputational engineering experts, constantly supervise the progress of the activities in progress.

However, it is essential that each of us also do our part to avoid the dangers of the network or at least limit the damage in the event that unauthorized photos and videos, outdated news that no longer respect the right to press, fake pages and profiles on social networks, confidential data, and other content harm our person .

Here are 6 tips that we can follow in a simple way:

1. Use the alert tools available online to check your online reputation (such as Google Alert)

2. Be careful what you post because it will leave a mark on you and may be seen by your future employer. When you do read carefully the conditions on image use that are posted to you. Anyhow do not post photos of minors.

3. Apply privacy filters for individual photos and posts you publish (who can see them, small groups, …)

4. Protect your online reputation by resorting to Right to be forgotten. Google has made available an online form that allows you to directly request the company to de-index the news.

5. If you run into sexy blackmail and ask for payment do not do it and shamelessly turn to law enforcement.

6. Sexting is dangerous. If you decide to do so, avoid showing your face or details attributable to you (e.g. tattoos)