What Are The Benefits Of A Digital Identity?

I was on the train the other day and my iPhone’s 3G signal was waxing and waning and eventually dropped altogether (Yes, I was holding it correctly, let’s keep the Apple vs. Android debate to another time). All of a sudden I was disconnected from the digital world and it got me thinking about what it is I do online, what those activities mean to me and the benefits of having a digital identity.

When I think about the digital economy and what I gain from participating in it, the first things that spring to mind are centred around connectivity and communication. Thanks to the technologies available today I can conduct video and voice calls with family and friends in the US, South Africa and even New Zealand. I am also able to save money by comparing or ordering goods and services online for the lowest cost or best value. I can conduct my banking and financial management online far easier than having to conduct transactions by cash or cheque using the postal or branch services. All in all I would say that as a connected citizen of the digital economy, my life has become a lot easier and more structured around what I want to do and how I want to do it.

Some may argue that having too large an online footprint is not necessarily a good thing and I am happy to take on board a lot of what they say in such a debate. What I should point out is that whenever talking about the pros and cons of anything in life, one important aspect of the conversation is context.

In the context of security, I feel that too many people are unaware of the amount of personal information that they themselves make available online. In the context of convenience, many people are more than happy for their card details, passwords or personal data to be “saved” or “remembered” by the site or browser. It is when you look at the digital footprint debate in different contexts that some points become stronger and others weaker.

As a security professional I am often reviewing my digital identity in the context of security, but with a pinch of reality for good measure. For example, is it worth me worrying about information exposed online that is public information anyway? Just knowing what free information is available about yourself can help with a lot of the paranoia that some people feel when interacting online. A simple task to test this is to go to 192.com and search for yourself. If you appear in the free results, then a lot of your information is open to the public already so panicing about restricting things like your address or telephone number on Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn is hardly worth the stress.

The key point to make is that there are endless benefits of participating in the digital world and creating a digital identity for yourself. Like anything in life where there is reward there is risk, and it is through knowledge of the risks that you can weigh up the benefits and decide for yourself how far you would like to go.

Personally, I am a great believer in what a truly connected world can offer and am making very sure that I know as much as I can about both the risks and the rewards to make a sound judgment call on my activities. Taking personal responsibility for your digital identity is something we should all be doing. What are your thoughts on digital identities? Do the rewards out-weigh the risks?