Digital Identity and Personal Branding in the Era of Data Harvesting

I am not a brand. Tell that to big tech data harvesting corporations.

Targeted advertising campaigns are becoming increasingly invasive and intrusive. Targeted advertising is when online advertisers collect data on the attributes, traits, interests, and preferences of a consumer. Advertisers gather this information by tracking through data harvesting.

As soon as I sign up for an account using my personal email, I am immediately bombarded with targeted ads from major brands. Or commercials on my linked smart device clearly from the same demographic with a small “sponsored” disclaimer in the corner.  Thus begins the origin story of my quest to revolutionize digital identity.

Why? Privacy.

Branding is a powerful tool. It is the digital representation of human value. Data harvesting corporations can exploit the fact that the average consumer doesn’t understand what digital identity truly is. Many people only know how to brand themselves online for commercial gain or social or cultural capital. Users can market their personal attributes online for popularity or retail. However, the personal characteristics, behaviors, and attributes that link your digital identifiers can follow you across platforms and into different spaces depending on how you manage them. You relinquish control of your data to these corporations by engaging in their platforms. These attributes are valuable to big corporations. Your identity equals dollar signs.

What is digital identity?

Digital identity is the collection of data that represents a person or entity in the online world. It basically represents “who you are” online. It is a digital representation of your brand, image, and identity. This includes your demographic and behavioral information such as personal identification numbers, social security numbers, emails, usernames, digital signatures, biometric data, login credentials, etc.

Digital identity is used whenever you are required to authenticate your identity electronically, such as with government resources, online shopping, entertainment streaming, booking travel, searching online, engaging on social media, and banking.

All your digital actions provide a footprint that creates your identity based on a combination of your personal characteristics, actions, and your participation in online communities or how you interact in digital marketplaces.

Digital IDs must have the following characteristics:

• Must be personal and non-transferable. Each user has only one identity within each system
• User must give permission or be aware data is being captured
• Digital ID must be reusable
• User identity is verified and authenticated
• Digital ID data must comply with private, local, and government policies, standards, and regulations
• User data must be secure and available

How is digital identity used?

There has been an increasing shift in the use of digital IDs. A digital ID can be used as a virtual ID card, such as those currently adopted by state programs for passports or driver’s licenses. Digital ID cards are also rapidly gaining popularity in Web 3 spaces like the metaverse or in blockchain transactions. Other types of digital IDs are online banking IDs, e-shop IDs, and employee credentials used in HRIS (Human Resource Information Systems).

Centralized digital identity systems and Data Harvesting

Companies utilize data gleaned from your digital footprint to target their brands towards specific demographics, encompassing factors like images, age, gender, race, culture, or financial status. They craft marketing campaigns tailored to appeal to particular groups of buyers based on their products or services.

Centralized Identity Systems like Google offer the convenience of signing up with your email across a multitude of websites, apps, or platforms. These credentials are federated, shared, and centralized. During the signup process, you often have the choice to opt out of data sharing or cookie usage. However, a closer look at the extensive Terms and Conditions on most sites reveals that this is primarily a compliance protocol to adhere to data regulations. This setup enables a single sign-on (SSO) experience across third-party vendor platforms, such as Zoom and Salesforce.

Government sectors are now adopting centralized systems for managing digital identity. Different laws and regulations are being implemented to tackle the growing trend. According to Congress.gov, the Improving Digital Identity Act of 2023 “establishes a temporary task force to recommend secure methods and coordinate efforts for digital identity verification (a process for verifying the identity of an individual who accesses a service online or electronically”. This task force establishes a “government-wide effort for promoting digital identity credentials (e.g., electronic driver's licenses and birth certificates) for use in the public and private sectors”.

Decentralized Digital Identity options for protecting privacy

Blockchain technology can be used as a decentralized digital identity option. Decentralized Digital Identity presents an alternative solution to represent yourself digitally. You can also combine physical identity methods with digital identification methods for an added layer of security. For example, you can use only physical copies of centralized identify verifiers that are sensitive (ie. Birth certificate, passport, and driver's license). You can also choose to opt out of using centralized digital identifiers that share information. Airlines like Delta even offer the option to opt in or out of participating in digital ID programs.

Keep private information private. Avoid sharing personal details about yourself online unless it is necessary. Nothing online is private so a good rule is to avoid putting any sensitive information about yourself online. This includes information about yourself that you enter into online forms or goods and services you use.

There are many ways you can protect your digital identity from data harvesting, threat actors, and unwanted exposure.

Some secure web principles to follow include:

• Always practice good digital etiquette and use common sense.
• Market yourself mindfully and systematically tailor your personal brand to avoid unwanted information being revealed
• Follow secure web practices and standards
• Keep browsers and operating systems up to date
• Only access secure and trusted websites with current SSL certificates
• Deny tracking and cookies in web browser settings or when prompted
• Avoid clicking unknown links or emails asking to enter digital credential
• Never enter digital credentials into unknown web pages or sign-up forums. You will never be asked to share your credentials with a stranger.

To maintain control of their digital identity and footprint, users must be knowledgeable of the types of digital identities and how they are used in targeted branding. Users can understand what information about themselves is the most valuable and what should be private, safeguarded, and not shared online.