Posts on social media are often exploited and turned against their authors. How can Carleton community members handle these kinds of risks? The Division of Communications has gathered suggestions from the American Association of University Professors (AAUP), Inside Higher Ed, and the public relations agency RW Jones that highlight best practices for protecting one’s privacy and reputation online.

Individuals will need to make their own decisions about what they are comfortable with regarding their digital footprint, but may find this guidance useful.

Limit personal information online.

Google yourself. Consider removing or hiding home addresses, phone numbers, personal email, and family links from any public sites, especially:

  • Whitepages-style databases
  • Alumni pages
  • Real estate or property records
  • Old blog posts or online bios

For a more extensive measure, you can scrub your information from data-broker websites, which collect and sell personal information. Companies like DeleteMe and Incogni will remove your personal information from data-broker websites for a fee. DeleteMe has published free opt-out guides as well that walk readers through removing their information from sites like Experian, TransUnion, and CoreLogic. You can also follow the steps outlined in the Data Broker Opt-Out List, a Github project that explains how to scrub your information from data brokers.

Set personal social media accounts to private.

When prompted, approve the setting to make all previous posts private. Consider limiting who can reply to or tag you on platforms like Twitter/X, Instagram, TikTok, etc.

Remember that anything you post online can be screenshotted and shared widely.

And nothing on the internet ever dies or gets permanently deleted. It can almost always be found somewhere.

Use a separate email for public-facing work.

Avoid linking your personal accounts (Gmail, Apple ID, etc.) to your professional profile. Also avoid linking your personal platforms with each other, such as your Facebook to Instagram or Gmail to YouTube.

Apply caution before posting or reposting online commentary.

Ask yourself:

  • Am I comfortable with this opinion/viewpoint potentially being shared with fellow students, colleagues, or with the general public?
  • Have I (or the person I am reposting) expressed this opinion/viewpoint in terms I would be comfortable sharing (or having it shared) with fellow students, colleagues, or with the public?

State in your bio that the opinions expressed through your account represent your own opinions and not those of your employer.

You do not need to name Carleton as your employer.

Consider rephrasing opinions as positive statements.

Sometimes, it can be more productive to post positive statements about positions you support rather than negative statements about positions you find disagreeable. Some examples could be:

  • “Academic freedom is nonnegotiable.”
  • “Higher ed research saves lives.”

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