Something that always comes up in our engagements is the widespread availability of our clients’ names on the Internet for anyone to purchase and use.
Someone may simply share your name, but they can also impersonate you and use your name to create false and possibly inappropriate material about you on blogs, websites, and social media accounts – much like fake news.
If you own the “.com” domain for your name, as well as iterations on the top digital platforms, you are in good shape. This is important even if you don’t plan on using these assets — for example, when you deliberately hope to be “invisible” online because you prefer a low profile.
If you are pursuing any initiatives that depend on having a favorable public perception and you are not actively managing your image online, be forewarned. You don’t have control over your image yet. You are also a prime target for identity theft, because unless you have taken proactive steps to protect your name online, anyone can use it… and pretend to be you.
Fortunately, most of us will not be the focus of mistaken identity, defamation campaigns, or fake news. But your name is the essential tool in a personal branding program, a thought-leadership campaign and the most basic protection of your reputation, as well as for enhancing it. For that reason alone, don’t let it be taken and used by anyone else.
Remember: Online reputation management enables you to shape the public’s perception of you and your organization by taking control of the story the Internet tells about you. It all begins with your name.
Welcome to the era of artificial intelligence (AI). How this tech is being harnessed by tech companies and search engines like Google, in particular, also means your reputation could be on the line.
This is a big threat for people who haven’t worked on managing their reputations online.
Misinformation can be spread easily when there is a vacuum of information about you and your brand. Many people just have LinkedIn profiles that often sit idle and without updates — and that’s it.
Now, it’s time to change that.
The New York Times’s Tiffany Hsu delved into the reputational risks that an unchecked AI can bring. In an article about how an AI-fueled lie can impact your image online, Hsu reports on the fact that many people currently have little to no protection from ever smarter tech.
This is still new. Current AI has a hard time with accuracy. An AI-generated photo of you might give you a photorealistic face — but 12 fingers. The article mentions Google’s Bard chatbot being unable to provide accurate information about the James Webb Space Telescope. These are details that you, my fellow human, would be able to find with a quick manual Google search yourself.
While the initial harm that can come from AI-written inaccuracies about you may seem minimal and harmless, this isn’t something to be taken lightly. Hsu writes this tech can “create and spread fiction about specific people that threatens their reputations and leaves them with few option for protection recourse.” Many leading tech companies have only started putting guardrails in place.
If potentially libelous information appears attributed to your name or likeness, there isn’t much legal protection right now, Hsu adds.
There are current examples of legal fights against the machine, but they are few and far between. As we all know, misinformation tied to our names and our brands can leave an indelible stain online. AI “Frankenpeople” have now become common, which Hsu defines as “AI hallucinations” with “fake biographical details and mashed-up identities” that can emerge easily and be tied to your name if there isn’t much information out there to begin with.
This is where we come in.
You must be proactive about shoring up your reputation online by way of a personal branding website.
At Reputation Communications, we help you with publishing articles and blog posts, as well as disseminating op-Eds and thought leadership content.
We also harness your social media strategically.
We aim to create a reputational firewall to protect against this onslaught of AI threats.
Since search engines rely increasingly on AI, now isn’t the time to sit idle or stick with the status quo. A static public Facebook page that hasn’t been updated in five years isn’t the way to go.
Hsu writes that the AI Incident Database has logged more than 550 entries this year. That number will only grow. She quotes Scott Cambo, the man behind this tool, who says that we can expect “a huge increase of cases” tied to AI mischaracterizations of real people.
AI will undoubtedly change the way we get information and connect with the world. Now is the time to makes sure that information about you and your brand is accurate.
The New York Times has published a disturbing article that shows how some online reputation damage happens: intentionally.
In A Vast Web of Vengeance, tech reporter Kashmir Hill details how one person spent years creating false, negative posts about more than a hundred people. They have suffered extreme reputation damage due to 1200 defamatory posts that are too unpleasant to print here. In her article, Hill describes “the power of a lone person to destroy countless reputations, aided by platforms like Google that rarely intervene.”
Yes: On the internet, anyone can be impersonated, harassed or the focus of “fake news.” It persists because of the Communications Decency Act Section 230, (CDA 230), a law that protects the platforms that publish such information — publishers like Google, Facebook, Twitter and millions of blogs, forums and websites — against liability for third-party content on their websites.
We have written extensively about the need to update that law. That includes our interviews with leaders active in the movement to change it, notably:
Right2Remove, which advocates for “Right to Remove” privacy policy legislation “that allows for the removal of content from Internet platforms that is designed to cause reputational harm to consumers in the United States.”
Here is to more investigative journalism focusing on this important topic, including changing the law that enables such harmful content to remain on the internet forever, or at all.
A three-part series of live, 30-minute briefings with reputation management, Internet law, investigations, due diligence and risk mitigation experts will take place on August 5, 12 and 19, 2020. Registration is free and may be made via the links below. The program will be held on Zoom.
Focusing on reputation risk facing high-net-worth families (HNWFs), the program is hosted by Reputation Communications and moderated by its founder and CEO, Shannon Wilkinson.
“In a digital world, everyone faces reputation risk,” says Shannon Wilkinson. “But high-net-worth families and individuals face special scrutiny and a dangerous loss of privacy both online and off. Online personal and reputational attacks, threats and disparagement, unfounded allegations, disinformation campaigns, impersonation schemes, disturbing online threats, extortion, and harassment are some examples. These risks can impact all areas of their professional and personal life. Having served victims of such issues for a decade, I want to provide HNWFs with my own insight, as well as credible information from colleagues who are experienced in helping such families.”
Program details follow.
Wednesday, August 5: Alert: The Reputation Risk Setting Now.
Shannon Wilkinson will introduce the program and summarize the types of reputation risks HNWFs face, including generational ones, from family leaders to teens and college students.
David Niccolini will provide an overview of the current environment contributing to the aforementioned threats, examples of the types of risks HNWFs encounter now, and the importance of situational awareness.
Tim Murphy will introduce cybersecurity threats that are increasingly common and unique to HNWFs, including account takeover and ransomware attacks.
Click here to register for the August 5th briefing.
Wednesday, August 12: Alarm: Your Internet Legal Rights in the U.S. & Abroad.
Shannon Wilkinson will introduce the program and highlight the differences between American Internet and privacy laws and those in Europe and other countries.
Christine Rafin will summarize why consumers have so few Internet legal rights in the U.S., and address common questions relating to the removal of negative, defamatory and/or infringing material from the Internet.
Dan Shefet will explain how the “Right to Be Forgotten” law operates in Europe and Argentina; provide examples of the types of content that is removable on Google; and describe the privacy laws in Europe, which are far stronger than in the U.S. He will briefly address similar online privacy laws in other countries.
Click here to register for the August 12 briefing.
Wednesday, August 19: Adapt: Double-Due Diligence & Expert Intel.
Shannon Wilkinson will introduce the program and why the issues of due diligence and investigations are relevant in high-net-worth reputation risk cases.
Don Aviv will provide inside examples of the types of threats that due diligence has revealed, especially on the personal rather than organizational side of HNWFs.
Arun Rao will share insight into the types of reputation risk issues facing prominent public figures like elected officials, candidates for public office, entertainers, and high-profile executives. Key issues include investigating and addressing false allegations and “fake news.”
Click here to register for the August 19 briefing.
About the Speakers
Don Aviv: As president of Interfor International, Don has managed, led, and coordinated teams on thousands of due diligence and investigative cases, many with complex aspects and multinational reaches. He directly supports chief security officers and general counsel of some of the world’s leading corporations, financial institutions, and family offices.
Tim Murphy: Tim is a recognized leader in global cybersecurity and intelligence. In his previous role as Deputy Director of the FBI, and now as CEO of Consortium Networks, a cyber network and solutions firm, his experience covers all operational aspects of counterintelligence, criminal, cyber, and intelligence programs. He has experience in ensuring the technological and cybersecurity of companies, high-net-worth individuals and their family offices.
David Niccolini: David Niccolini co-founded TorchStone in 2010. The company has won numerous awards and has been featured in Forbes, The Wall Street Journal, CNN, the Washingtonian, and the PBS News Hour. Over the years, David has directed security, consulting, and investigative operations across six continents on behalf of families (to include Forbes 400) and multinational corporations (to include Fortune 50).
Christine Rafin: As Associate General Counsel – Media and Compliance at American Media, LLC, Christine advises on defamation, privacy, intellectual property and publicity issues for a wide range of brands, including podcasts, online publications and magazines from National Enquirer to US Weekly. Christine has extensive experience representing high net worth individuals in federal and state civil, commercial and regulatory matters. She is an expert in the rapidly-evolving fields of Internet law, digital marketing law, and data privacy and security law.
Arun Rao: As the President of IGI, Arun draws on his experience at the Department of Justice, the White House, and the New York County District Attorney’s Office to advise clients on crisis and risk management. Arun and his team provide concierge-level assistance to elected officials, candidates for office, entertainers, and other prominent individuals facing reputational attacks, threats, and disparagement. As Principal of The Lenzner Firm (IGI’s affiliated law firm), Arun also provides counsel on potential legal remedies.
Dan Shefet: A French lawyer based in Paris, Dan Shefet holds a Philosophy Degree and a Law Degree from the University of Copenhagen. Specializing in European Law, Competition Law as well as Human Rights in general and in the IT environment in particular, he is a noted public speaker on IT Law, Data Privacy and Human Rights on the internet. In 2014 he founded the Association for Accountability and Internet Democracy (AAID) the main objective of which is to introduce a general principle of accountability on the internet.
Shannon Wilkinson: As the founder of Reputation Communications, one of the first firms in the online reputation management space, Shannon has advised numerous high-net-worth clients, including CEOs, business leaders, luxury brands, public figures, philanthropists, Forbes 400 and Forbes 500 clients, entertainment industry icons, FinTech leaders, tech founders, venture capitalists, and others. Reputation Communications is based in New York.
Facebook’s image as the world’s trusted über-connector is in crisis mode. Now, the platform used by millions is in reputational freefall.
According to a New York Times article, Facebook used a Washington-based consulting firm to “spread disparaging information about the social network’s critics and competitors…to discredit activist protesters that were against Facebook… to deflect criticism of the social network by pressing reporters to look into rivals like Google.” Why? To deflect its early knowledge of Russia’s manipulation of Facebook to manipulate American politics. And to maintain growth at all costs.
Fake news
Pushing out continuously positive information about your brand is an essential aspect of online reputation management. Publishing fake articles on fake “news” websites that are created for reputation management purposes, then amplifying them using armies of fake Twitter and Facebook users, were early online reputation management industry tactics. Some consultants still use them. But they have fallen out of favor in some circles because their fakeness is so easy to spot.
Where Facebook Failed
For crisis and reputation management campaigns to resonate, they need to be authentic: based on real actions, identities and facts. Without those traits, they may work over the short term but ultimately disintegrate and fade away. In today’s digital world, it is very hard to hide conceal the truth for long. It almost always comes out. That is why Facebook would have been better served to embrace transparency about this crisis at the onset, before it became public knowledge.
Instead, Facebook’s complicit approval of hardball disinformation tactics has contributed to its loss of credibility. Now Facebook faces a far deeper crisis than it might have otherwise: the potential loss of trust from its users, and the resulting blow back from its stakeholders.
We hear it too often. “My friend paid an online reputation management firm $10,000 and it didn’t work. He feels burned by the experience.”
Online reputation management (ORM) is a young industry. It promises a multitude of results, many tied to the creation of “digital assets” and the “whitewashing of negative information.” As a consequence, consumers are often confused when seeking a solution appropriate for their goals.
Replacing information on Google is not a quick fix. Removing it may not be possible because of U.S. internet laws. Unwanted content must be replaced with new, high-ranking material…and lots of it. That takes time to rise high on online searches — three to six months in most cases, and up to a year in others. Then, the new information must be consistently refreshed to stay in place.
Buyer Beware
Online reputation firms that promise quick fixes can use methods that focus on quantity rather than quality. One method is to create as much information associated with a client’s name, “throw it online” using fake blogs, Facebook pages and other platforms created for that purpose, and hope a lot of it sticks. This approach often incorporates poorly-written information that contributes little to your brand. An example is a series of blog posts that use your name in each title and repeat your name several times within a paragraph. Or, a firm you speak with claims to have created a secretive system they have created that “runs circles around” Google’s algorithm. The details are a little murky, though.
The use of “fake news” sites is also a tool of the trade. In that system, an article or press release about you is posted dozens of times on sites that have been designed to look like news websites. Or, they may be actual blogs and websites used by various groups. (We have seen an article about a male CEO stuffed on the back page on a blog for new mothers, for example.) Such tactics can work until search engines lower the page rank of such content in favor of higher-quality, more credible material.
A better and more effective method is to develop a strategic content plan appropriate for you …not just a plethora of junk. High-quality content adds value to your brand while addressing your top concern: taking more control over what appears about you online. Here are tips to keep in mind when considering a reputation management firm:
Top Tips
When selecting a reputation management firm, check if they are experienced at servicing your sector. Review the design and content of their website and consider: Is it an appropriate fit? Would you trust them to create and publish online content about you or your organization?
Do they promise specific results? If so, are they transparent about how they will attain those results? Or is their language laden with so much technical jargon you don’t understand what they will be doing on your behalf?
Once you select a firm, ensure you have the right to review and approve all that will be published online about you before embarking on a campaign. Enter a contract that protects your privacy and gives you ownership of all material created on your behalf, including access to all platforms established for you during the entire period of your engagement once it is over.
Be wary of contracts that allow firms to penalize late payments with removal of all online content created so far about you. If their services include publishing a profile or website about you that is linked to their brand, consider the impact to your image of having such an association that may last for years.
Most important, educate yourself about this industry. Our You(Online) resources were created to contribute to the public body of knowledge that educates consumers, including our own client niche. Join readers worldwide who benefit from our articles, blog and expert commentary. It is the most comprehensive in the industry. Start with The Essentials: Online Reputation Management FAQs, our most widely-read article. This interview with our founder and CEO provides insight into our expertise.
I recently described online reputation management to a group of new acquaintances. This is what they had to say:
“It enables people to achieve the future they want,” observed a media executive.
“I had always thought of online reputation management as suppressing unwanted Google results,” said another. “Now I see it entirely differently. It is about positivity and being proactive about the story that Google tells about you. It is a major career development tool and establishes you as a leader.”
Online reputation management is a cutting-edge industry that enables you to shape the public’s perception of you and your organization by taking control of the story the Internet tells about you. That can entail anything from optimizing the order in which that information appears in a Google search to the creation of new content.
Your Challenge
One challenge for many professionals is the third-party content. You may be mentioned on blogs, consumer or employee review sites, legal reporting sites and high-ranking media outlets. Counter-balancing and replacing that type of content with new, positive and authentic material is an essential online reputation management (ORM) strategy.
Google prizes well-written content that is not duplicated elsewhere on the Internet. It can punish fake news, tricks and “black hat” strategies used in some ORM programs.
That is why using only ethical ORM and high-quality content is important. Our approach is to develop online messaging, blog and social media content, website creation, thought leadership and public relations strategies that are custom-made to support your image while attaining your online reputation goals.
Your Future
This month, while you envision the future you want for you or your company, assess whether your Google results are conveying the image you want the decision-makers in your world to see. Consider these questions:
Who is your audience?
How do you want to be perceived by them?
Is that how you appear when they research you online?
What future do you want to achieve?
If your Google and other search results are not delivering the image that supports your answers, I invite you to make a list of everything you want to create, change, or publish on the Internet. Then, contact us.
We specialize in working with executives, professionals, and their organizations. Our typical clients hold leadership roles in their industry, or are mid-level professionals actively building their careers. In addition, we have a long history of assisting VIPs and high-net-worth individuals with their online reputation goals. To learn more, visit Reputation Communications.
This post was excerpted from our September eNewsletter. It kicks off a new monthly series that will hit on every part of online reputation management and provide you with actions you can take to enhance yours. Please share it with your friends, and join our mailing list to receive future editions.
Google has just launched an attack on “fake news and problematic content,” including “rumors, urban myths, slurs or derogatory topics.” That is good news for anyone (and any organization) plagued by such issues. It is bad news for low-quality content, fake links and other tactics used to trick Google into suppressing as well as raising online content.
We like it. Now you, the consumer, can flag false, biased, offensive and inaccurate content that Google brings up on search suggestions. You can also include a note that explains why Google should remove it. Equally beneficial, the Internet can potentially become a fairer playing field.
Last week Danny Sullivan, a leading search engine expert, wrote the defining explanation of what this means. These are excerpts from his article on Search Engine Land :
Google knows it has a search quality problem. It’s been plagued since November with concerns about fake news, disturbing answers and offensive search suggestions appearing at the top of its results. “Project Owl” is an effort by the company to address these issues, with three specific actions being announced today.
In particular, Google is launching:
a new feedback form for search suggestions, plus formal policies about why suggestions might be removed.
a new feedback form for “Featured Snippets” answers.
a new emphasis on authoritative content to improve search quality.
“Problematic searches” is a term I’ve been giving to a situations where Google is coping with the consequences of the “post-truth” world. People are increasingly producing content that reaffirms a particular world view or opinion regardless of actual facts. In addition, people are searching in enough volume for rumors, urban myths, slurs or derogatory topics that they’re influencing the search suggestions that Google offers in offensive and possibly dangerous ways.
“These are problematic searches, because they don’t fall in the clear-cut areas where Google has typically taken action. Google has long dealt with search spam, where people try to manipulate its results outside acceptable practices for monetary gain. It has had to deal with piracy. It’s had to deal with poor-quality content showing up for popular searches.
“Problematic searches aren’t any of those issues. Instead, they involve fake news, where people completely make things up. They involve heavily-biased content. They involve rumors, conspiracies and myths. They can include shocking or offensive information. They pose an entirely new quality problem for Google, hence my dubbing them “problematic searches.”
