I have Googled myself in the past. Why? Every five to ten years, I have to fill out a national questionnaire to renew my government security clearance. The questions asked are very detailed, asking sensitive, personal, and public questions. You cannot hide anything from the CCF (Central Clearance Facility), as they will find out the truth. Anything that you do not disclose during the investigation will deem you untrustworthy in the eyes of the government. In the military, most service members are required to obtain a security clearance. A security clearance is an investigation that is done on done on the service member, or Department of Defense civilian employee. This investigation is meant to ascertain …show more content…
Data brokers or information brokers are someone or a company that collects data on a consumer information around the world and selling it to whoever will pay. Privacy Rights Clearinghouse writes that data brokers are “companies that collect and aggregate consumer information from a wide range of sources to create detailed profiles of individuals. These companies then sell or share your personal information with others.” (2014) Generally, data brokers are companies that do not interact with or do business with directly with the person whose information they are collecting. Data brokers sometimes sell the information they assemble to other companies (including other data brokers), organizations, government agencies, or other persons. Many times the data brokers might exchange this material under a cooperative agreement rather than sell it. (FTC.gov, 2012) They might provide the information at no cost, making money through advertising or referrals, using a consumer’s web browsing history or purchase …show more content…
Civilian employers do background checks as well. Your online reputation is as important as what people cannot Google about you. Employers will more than likely check your online personality, or social media profiles. Social sites like FaceBook, LinkedIn, Four Square, etc. The internet is a worldwide database on that forever has information on everyone. That information cannot be expunged or deleted simply. I do not think that people understand how powerful the internet is. No one wants to have a bad credit rating. People should understand that their online presence could be measured in much the same way as a credit history. People should strive to keep both