Imagine being accused of a crime that you did not commit. If you want to make sure this never happens to you then you need to be more aware of your digital self, and your digital footprint.
Social Embers has been making the public aware of what can happen to a person’s digital existence after their physical existence has ended for many years now. I have written about “ghosting” a term used to describe how the digital identity of someone who has died can be stolen. It is however, becoming increasingly important to get a grip on your digital self while you are living.
Yesterday, the BBC shared an article that reported how a couple had been investigated for serious crime involving child abuse. Police officers confiscated all of their laptops and mobile phones as the National Crime Agency had received information that their IP address was linked to this type of crime. The couple used Vodaphone as their broadband supplier, and their router was supplied with a default password, which the couple had not changed. It appears that a person outside of the family home had “piggybacked” their wifi by guessing the password and making it appear that the homeowners were responsible for the crime. The BBC article states that the couple’s internet router was several years old and the vulnerability of weak passwords was identified in several different types of router in a recent Which report.
TAKE ACTION NOW
Taking responsibility for your personal password management is really important. There are lots of password apps now that can generate passwords for you, and will remember them securely. We recommend that you choose one with a legacy facility, which allows for the transfer of login information to a trusted individual in the event of your death or incapacity.
The BBC News article is linked below, where you will learn how devastating this incident was for the couple, leaving them under suspicion of committing a serious crime, which still remains on Police files as it has not been solved.