The digitalisation of all aspects of our lives is an undeniable fact: when we need to obtain information about any situation, the first thing we do is go to online search engines that will give us an immediate response, when we want to contact someone, we do not hesitate to send them a message by email or through social networks, we work from home without any additional effort, and so on.
Of course, this way of working gives the information we share online an incalculable value, as it will be our presentation to those who are looking for us online.
This can be as good or bad as the information about us accessible to others, so it is important to keep a good control over it, so that we can know how others perceive us and try to adapt it to our interests.
So what is a digital fingerprint?
A ‘digital fingerprint’ is any trace that a person or organisation leaves behind when they use the internet.
But not only the internet that you use consciously or intentionally (for example, by posting a photo or a comment on a social network), but also the one that records your steps without you realising it (such as cookies that are installed in the browser, IP address monitoring, geolocation or browsing history). Thus, we distinguish between active fingerprinting and passive fingerprinting, respectively.
The fingerprint, created in both ways, is relevant for both individuals and companies. Now, while in essence both fingerprints consist of the same concept, when we distinguish between a person’s fingerprint and a company’s fingerprint, we are talking about different information.
The corporate fingerprint
The main difference between the fingerprint of a natural person and that of a company lies in its complexity:
A natural person’s digital fingerprint is created from the personal information that the person shares on the internet. On the other hand, when we talk about a company’s digital fingerprint, we are talking about information that is created through different channels: normally, the company itself, its employees and its customers. In this sense, a company’s digital fingerprint builds, for example, its online presence from the company’s official websites, the activities carried out by employees on behalf of the company, information about the customers it works with, and even data about its performance (e.g. customer reviews).
As can be seen, the digital fingerprint of a company has many more sources than that of a natural person and is therefore much more complex to control.
Why is it important to monitor a company’s digital fingerprint?
To understand how a company’s digital fingerprint can both benefit and harm it, it is necessary to understand the risks of not controlling it. The most important risks associated with a company’s digital fingerprint are listed below :
The influence of the digital fingerprint on business reputation.
Putting ourselves in the shoes of a potential customer in today’s digital age who has a need and is looking for a service to satisfy it, what would we do? The answer is clear: we would do an internet search on which company we can turn to for help.
Given the large number of options that are presented to us, and unless there are notorious differences between the services provided or their contracting conditions (such as the price or what the service includes), the perception we have of the companies that appear takes on great value.
We are talking here about corporate image, customer reviews, what the company shares on its networks, whether its information is up to date, whether its website is current, modern and accessible, among other issues.
This is where the digital fingerprint can help or, on the contrary, hurt a company the most: the digital fingerprint has immense power to shape the perception of your brand and drive potential customer behaviour.
The need to protect the privacy of employees, customers and anyone with whom the company interacts
As we all know, anyone who handles personal data, in any form, has a responsibility to protect it. This includes information that is published online, both about employees and customers.
When we are part of or do business with a company, we trust that the company will protect our information and refrain from publishing our confidential information.
If, as a result of a failure to protect the information that a company handles, personal data is improperly disclosed, the company’s reputation will be damaged and the image projected will greatly harm the chances of attracting new customers as a result of the distrust generated in individuals.
Ensuring that adequate safeguards are in place to protect information, its confidentiality and integrity will help your company protect its image of compliance and security.
Danger from third party attacks
A company’s online presence inevitably puts it on the map. Both for the better (in terms of being known to potential customers) and for the worse (in terms of being a target for cybercrime).
Going a step further, a company with an online presence, but with its information published in an uncontrolled manner, is an attractive target for third parties seeking to launch attacks aimed at obtaining personal information for later malicious use.
Friendly reminder: a social engineering attack always implies that the attacker has accessed the personal information of the affected person. To carry out an attack of this type, the attacker must have known some personal detail about the victim in order to carry out the deception that will lead the person to give access to confidential information (for example, their telephone number, their email address, their position or relationship with the company, etc.).
How can I control my company’s digital fingerprint?
At this point, you are probably asking yourself the same question, and the answer is not unique. The truth is that the protection of a company’s digital fingerprint derives from the internalisation of a culture of respect for confidential information (including personal information) and awareness on the part of everyone in the company.
Here are a series of measures you can implement in your company that will take you a step further in protecting your online assets:
- Your digital fingerprint exists, so you have to put yourself in the position of the person looking for information about it on the internet. Keep track of what information has been published about your company on the internet, for example, by setting alarms that alert you when something has been published about you.
- Take advice on personal data protection and the implementation of technical and organisational security measures for your personal databases. Compliance can help you not only to avoid sanctions, but also to be a company that can be trusted.
- Train and raise awareness among your employees about the importance of keeping information secure, to detect actions or behaviour on systems that may be suspicious of attacks, to use communication systems responsibly and not to fall prey to social engineering attacks.
- Continuously delete information stored through cookies and keep your systems’ default settings as privacy-friendly as possible.
- Keep your software up to date at all times and perform security audits to detect vulnerabilities.
Remember: your company’s digital fingerprint already exists; it is up to you to manage it effectively to turn it into a valuable asset that reflects the values and professionalism of your organisation.
Article written by
Attorney – Privacy & IP
About Metricson
With offices in Barcelona, Madrid, Valencia and Seville and a significant international presence, Metricson is a pioneering firm in legal services for innovative and technology companies. Since its inception in 2009, it has advised more than 1,400 clients from 15 different countries, including startups, investors, large corporations, universities, institutions and governments.
If you would like to contact us, please do not hesitate to write to us at contacto@metricson.com. We look forward to talking to you!