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Strona główna Egosurfing

Egosurfing

(also ego searching, vanity searching, self-googling)

Egosurfing definition

Egosurfing, also called ego searching and vanity searching, is the act of searching for your own name or online presence on the internet to monitor personal reputation or track mentions. Egosurfing includes looking up one’s name on search engines, social media platforms, blogs, or other digital spaces where personal information might be mentioned or discussed.

See also: digital identity, scam

Purpose of egosurfing

Ego surfers seek to find out what information is publicly available about them or to monitor their digital reputation. Their motivations range from curiosity about what’s out there to concerns about personal information appearing publicly.

How to egosurf

  1. 1.Use multiple search engines. Search your name on different engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo to get a broad view of your online presence.
  2. 2.Try different name variations. Experiment with variations of your name, including nicknames or initials, to uncover all possible mentions.
  3. 3.Check social media platforms. Search for your name across social media platforms to see if you can find any mentions or posts related to you.
  4. 4.Set up Google Alerts. Create a Google alert for your name to receive notifications whenever it appears online.
  5. 5.Review data brokers’ and people search sites. Visit sites that aggregate personal information, like Spokeo or Whitepages, to find public records or data about you.

Dangers of egosurfing 

  • Potential for scams. Some sites may promise to provide more information for a fee. These sites could be scams or attempts to steal your credit card information.
  • Loss of privacy. You might end up on websites that track your data or plant cookies in your browser. This can lead to a loss of privacy.
  • Emotional impact. Discovering negative or inaccurate information about yourself can be distressing and impact your mental well-being.
  • Time wasting. Egosurfing can become time-consuming, especially if you become concerned with maintaining your online image and start spending a lot of time trying to control what’s said about you online.
  • Identity theft. By confirming your personal details on some shady websites, you may unknowingly help identity thieves piece together your information.

Egosurfing tips

  • Use a VPN for more varied results. A VPN helps mask your digital location and browsing history, which gives you more neutral and varied search results, without personalized filtering.
  • Clear your browser cache before searching. Clearing your browser cache ensures you get fresh, unfiltered search results, instead of seeing personalized results based on past searches.
  • Check results on different devices. Results may vary across devices due to settings or browser histories, so checking on multiple devices gives a more accurate view of your online presence.
  • Look beyond the first page of search results. Many mentions can be buried beyond the first page, so reviewing multiple pages gives a fuller picture of your online reputation.