Watch

Video credit: Your Digital Dossier – posted by The Digital Tattoo Project on YouTube

Think

1. What is a digital dossier?
   1. My online identity.
   2. My portfolio.
   3. Records and information about me.
2. Do you know what your digital dossier looks like?
   1. I’ve seen it all.
   2. I haven’t thought about it.
   3. I know what it looks like, to some extent.
3. Do you think digital dossiers contribute to online identity?
   1. Nah – no one pays attention to that sort of thing.
   2. I’m not sure – how would they?
   3. Yes, I do!
4. Do you use your digital dossier in building online identity?
   1. I haven’t used it.
   2. Only to some extent – it’s not a major tool.
   3. I try to leverage it wherever possible.

Explore

All of us (especially those born in the last 20 years) will have some form of digital dossier. As soon as we are born, information starts being recorded about us and generates “digital tracks”. Some of the information in our dossier will be publicly accessible and some will be private and protected by the agencies who generate the records or information. Some of the information will be collected without our knowledge or direct consent, while other pieces of information will be recorded by us on purpose. In the digital age everything from sonograms, to marriage licenses, to photos are kept in digital repositories. Canada is even slowly rolling out a Digital health Initiative whereby all medical records will be available online. Often times online we accidentally reveal more information about ourselves than is actually necessary, for example when we allow cookies to be installed on our browsers, or when we provide information to companies that is not mandatory.

The name of our project, Digital Tattoo, is a term closely related to digital dossier. While digital dossier refers to the collection of personal information and data compiled and stored about an individual in a digital format, digital tattoo is the permanent online presence and impact created through an individual’s online activities. In other words, digital dossier contributes to our digital tattoo, and may have positive or negative influence on our online identity. 

Digital footprint, on the other hand, is the trail of data or information left by one’s activities and interactions on the internet. These tracks can be either passive or active. Some examples of passive traces include browsing history, cookies, and device information. The data is gathered by web trackers and usually analyzed by businesses for target advertising. Active information and data include social media posts and online comments. A person can also shape their digital identity by managing their online professional profile. 

Digital tattoo, digital dossier and digital footprint are interconnected concepts in forming your digital identity. To take better control over your online presence, start with this question: Do you know what’s in your digital dossier? 

Do you know how to manage the parts of your dossier that you have control over?

Some things to consider:

• Be cognizant when filling out online forms, usually only things marked with an asterix are required. By providing more information than necessary you are impacting the scope of your digital dossier.
• What does a browser search on your name tell you about the kind of info that is publicly available about you? Are you OK with what you find? If not, you may want to review the Privacy and Surveillance section of this site.
• While it is difficult to see your entire digital dossier, there are ways for you to keep track of your online profile. The Huffington Post recommends using tools like Google Alerts, Mention, Tweetdeck, Hootsuite, or Google Dashboard to track your name across the web.
• Who will manage your digital dossier when you die? There are companies that provide services such as these (like 1Password’s Emergency Kit) for a fee. Is this important to you?
• Remember to always consider how what you post online might impact other people’s digital dossiers.