Does private really mean private?

I have a pretty large online presence. I have Instagram, Facebook, Snapchat, Twitter, VSCO, Pinterest, YouTube, LinkedIn and probably more that I don’t even realize. I have been on social media since middle schools and although I have all my stuff on private, with one google search I can find myself. 

I found pictures of myself from middle school to my high school prom to graduation. The most recent photo is my LinkedIn profile pictures. It amazes me that even though I am not a famous person anyone can find me. It does make you think about how anyone can just randomly search your name and find information about you. 

This one website where I found a ton of information was called “mylife.com. I found my mom, dad, sister, grandparents, and even some of my uncles on it. This website contains your age, birth date, where you are from, where you live, your political party, ethnicity, religion, income, net worth, relationships and if you have kids. Now some of the information is very inaccurate but also some of it is very true. 

What is most shocking is that my dad has no social media, yet I found the most information about him. That just makes you think that no matter how private you are or even if you have no social media that the internet can find you. I even found my dad’s cell phone number. He wonders why he gets advertising calls all the time. The reason is anyone has access to his phone number. 

This makes me want to quit social media but, then I also see no points because clearly if you have an online presence or not, people still have your information. I will definitely be more aware when giving out my cell phone number and maybe even have a fake email for all those times I get asked.

Try searching your name and see what comes up.https://www.mylife.com