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Me on the Web: Control what others see about you online and protect your privacy

Have you ever Google-d yourself and try to find information about you which are easily accessible to anyone around the world? Ever wondered if you could have deleted some ‘ugly’ stuffs about you from the Internet? Well, that’s exactly what Google is trying to do with their new tool, Me on the Web.

Me on the Web can be found in the Google Dashboard, which allows you to monitor and manage what personal information about you appear online using your Google account. It allows you to configure email alerts to be sent to you whenever any information about you is uncovered by Google’s search engine (Google Search bot/ Web crawler).

As Google says in their blog, “…your online identity is determined not only by what you post, but also by what others post about you – whether a mention in a blog post, a photo tag or a reply to a public status update. When someone searches for your name on a search engine like Google, the results that appear are a combination of information you’ve posted and information published by others.” The good thing about Me on the Web is that it allows you to see information about you in one place, making it easier for you to manage. It also provides very useful resources on how we can remove comments that we post on websites or other sorts of information and prevent it from appearing in Google Search results.
Configuring Me on the Web is pretty easy. Just log on to www.google.com/dashboard with your Google Account and scroll down to Me on the Web section (refer to screenshot). You can configure email alerts to be sent to you whenever Google Search bots detects keywords you have mentioned, by clicking on “Set up search alerts for your data”. Email alerts will be sent to you daily, weekly or as it happens, depending on your choice. Me on the Web allows you to link your Google Profile (I hope you may already know about Google Profile, if not, please click here). Alternatively, you can create a Google Profile by clicking the section just below Me on the Web in Dashboard.
Me on the Web is only a baby step in helping us controlling our online identity. As our dependency and addiction to social network sites grow rapidly, our awareness on protecting online identity becomes vital. Know who you add as your friend in Facebook or Tag you on any photos or Follow or allow to Follow you on your Twitter, or any other social network. If not, you may fall into another “virtual rape”, click here for more.
Setup your Me on the Web by logging in to Google Dashboard

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