July 1 (Portaltic/EP) –
Most Spaniards are not aware or are not sure of the control they have over their presence on the Internet or what they could do if they wanted to manage their digital identity, and in an extended way, there is a misconception that information spread through social networks can be completely deleted.
These are the conclusions of a recent study carried out by the cybersecurity company Kaspersky, ‘Right to be Forgotten’ (Right to be Forgotten), which focuses on the ‘online’ presence of Internet users and the consequences of digital footprint, and on the in which more than 8,500 users in eleven European countries, including Spain, have participated.
The Constitutional Court has recognized what is known as right to be forgotten in Internet search engines by declaring unconstitutional the resolutions that violated the right to protection of personal data of a person in the face of information disseminated on the Internet.
One of the axes on which the report revolves is the impact of a person’s digital footprint on their career and relationships. The company has highlighted, as “one of the most worrying data”, that the majority of Spanish respondents (74%) mistakenly believe that they have the control to completely eliminate their presence on the Internet.
The research also analyzes how the perception that is formed of the ‘online’ presence can be a problem for many people. In total, 37 percent of the Spaniards surveyed affirm that their social media profiles do not authentically represent them. Another 47 percent say that others can get the wrong idea about them from their Internet search history.
WHAT THE ‘LIKES’ SAY ABOUT A PERSON
On the other hand, and regarding the understanding of both the positive and negative impact of their online activity, the report highlights that the publications that we “like” on social networks can have a profound effect on the perception that others have of us.
Spaniards are aware that the way they behave online can have consequences, and they point out certain topics as more risky and controversialaffecting the perception of a person and even their employment prospects.
The derogatory publications towards disabled people (42%) or against the Covid-19 vaccine (40%), the use of anti trans language (35%), manifest against climate change (27%) or in favor of a certain political party (27%) are the most harmful when looking for a job or socializing, according to those surveyed in Spain.
More than a third of the Spanish respondents with a managerial profile (35%) admit to having searched for the online presence of an employee when they joined the company and found something about which they made a value judgment, while more than 43 percent percent say they know someone whose job or career had been negatively affected by an old social media post.
In fact, 42 percent of users worried that your online history may affect your chances of applying for a job. Despite this, nearly a third have never reviewed or deleted their old social media posts.
Regarding the predisposition of Spaniards to make a digital will, the company has detected “a worrying lack of awareness”, since according to the report data, almost a third (30%) of those surveyed he has not considered what will become of his fingerprint once he diesand nearly a fifth (17%) wrongly assume that all of their social media accounts will be automatically deleted forever.
Research also reveals that 33 percent would feel comfortable accessing a deceased parent’s social media profile if he left his access data in his will. However, this comfort level is not equal when respondents consider it for themselves. Only 15 percent of Spaniards plan to leave access to their digital identity or online presence (Internet search, social networks, purchase history, email, iCloud) in their will.
THE RIGHT TO BE FORGOTTEN DIGITALLY IS NOT AUTOMATIC
“Often, the data we share today does not reflect the person we will be tomorrow. We need to better understand the impact of shared data over time and how it can change our lives tomorrow,” David Emm, principal security researcher at Kaspersky’s global research and analysis team, said in a statement. .
This researcher points out that Internet users should know if it is possible to erase the data that we have shared on the Internet permanently, or to what extent it can be done, just because “our old digital identity no longer reflects our values”.
However, and “despite the fact that data protection regulations recognize natural persons the so-called right to digital oblivion, its exercise is not automatic”, The lawyer from the Bamboo Legal office and specialist in data protection, Nando Olcina, has pointed out.
The right to be forgotten “does not allow us to erase any trace that we have left on the Internet”, clarifies the lawyer, and explains that “A series of conditions must be met that the information disseminated on the Internet is inadequate, inaccurate, irrelevant, excessive or obsolete and that it does not conflict with other fundamental rights such as freedom of expression or the right to information”.
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