Why Your Digital Identity Needs Constant Monitoring

A person's online activities can be used to compile what's known as their digital identity, which is a collection of information about that person. This information can be used by companies to determine the identities of the people who buy their products.

Digital Identity

A person's online activities can be used to compile what's known as their digital identity, which is a collection of information about that person. By aggregating this data, a person's digital persona can be constructed. This information can be used by companies to determine the identities of the people who buy their products.

Your online persona serves as a medium of exchange similar to money. It can let you into your accounts, let you open new accounts, and provide you with the credibility you need to interact with people, businesses, and services online in a reliable way.

On the other hand, your data is vulnerable to theft, copying, and hacking as long as it is stored digitally. Numerous data breaches are made public every year, exposing billions of records, and making much of this previously private information accessible to the general public.

Monitoring digital identity

What Constitutes This Digital Identity?

A digital identity can be constructed using a wide variety of identifiers, just as it can be in the real world. Here are some of them:

  • Identifying details, such as name and birth date
  • Email addresses
  • Passwords and user IDs
  • Aadhaar number
  • Passport number
  • Online browsing history
  • Past buying habits

Financial institutions and online services use Personal Identifiable Information (PII) for identity verification purposes. As identity thieves improve their methods, digital identity becomes more crucial and intricate. In today's technologically advanced world, it is crucial to protect one's digital identity and implement effective fraud management solutions. It is equally necessary to work with a company that has a reliable identity verification onboarding procedure.

Why Is Digital Identity Important for a Business?

Digital identity verification refers to the procedure of confirming an individual's claimed identification online. Although protecting your digital identity is important, there are situations where online businesses require your identity to provide you with better services. Businesses would be at risk of not knowing who they are transacting with online if this procedure did not exist.

Customer identity verification is crucial for a number of reasons:

Providing a superior experience for the customer: With a more complete understanding of their consumers' demographics, hobbies, and purchasing habits, businesses are in a better position to provide personalised service.

Keeping up with the rules and regulations: Industries subject to regulation are required to perform customer due diligence (CDD) and comply with KYC rules. In order to combat issues like money laundering and other forms of financial crime, businesses must take this precaution before initiating customer interactions.

Protection against fraudulent activity: Companies that have a clearer picture of their customers are better prepared to combat fraud. If a user attempts to access their account but doesn't fit the profile of the account holder, this could be an indication of account takeover fraud.

Bringing in new customers: Simplifying the process of verifying an individual's identity can lead to greater success in automating internal operations. The result is a reduction in the overall cost of client acquisition and the ability to onboard more consumers in less time.

How To Protect Your Digital Identity

Make Sure Each of Your Online Accounts Has a Different Password

It's likely that you use a variety of different online accounts for things like social media, making payments, building websites, etc. If you own a business, you should implement a strict policy of not exchanging passwords among staff, and instead, use a password manager to ensure that each person has their own secure set of credentials. Changing passwords on a regular basis is recommended for security reasons.

Check the Terms of Service and Any Privacy Policies

Remember to read the site's privacy and permissions rules before clicking ‘accept’ during your next session. Check them out carefully to make sure no sensitive data or information is being exposed.

Keep Your Aadhaar Number Private

Don't give out your Aadhaar unless absolutely necessary, whether you're a student at a university, a high schooler, or a user of an online service. Use Masked Aadhaar wherever necessary to protect personal details and biometric data from being misused by third-party services. The same goes for any generally used ID proofs.

Avoid Using Unsecured or Public Wireless Networks

Stay away from using WiFi networks that are public or that you are unfamiliar with. If you find yourself in a situation where you have no choice, use a virtual private network (VPN) of a reputable provider.

Do Not Visit an Unencrypted Website

When browsing the Internet, it's important to stick to verified, safe sites. Unsecured websites include the risk of your data being compromised. Always check whether the site has HTTPS and the lock icon beside the URL. Also, check if the URL is legitimate and doesn’t impersonate a well-known online service.

Data breaches can be disastrous for businesses and can expose customers' private information to fraudsters. Cybersecurity is more critical than ever as hackers continue to improve their approaches.

Having a safe digital identity management solution in place, created with cutting-edge technology to protect sensitive customer information, is essential for organisations in this age of increasing reliance on digital Identity systems. Consumers can also take precautions to safeguard their digital identities by practising secure web browsing and adopting healthy online habits.

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