If you’re not worried, you’re not Googling | Good Morning Silicon Valley

Something to ponder

But though in many ways the 18-to-29 set is the canniest controller of online presence, they’re a lot more lax about one piece of information: birthdate. (Which is required by Facebook, and which many Facebook users leave public.) Fifty-nine percent of social network users in that age group say that their birthdate is available online for others to see.

It may not affect reputation, but birthdate is a frequent entry point for identity thieves. The Pew report cites studies showing that “the vast majority of Americans (87%) can be identified with only three pieces of information: gender, ZIP code and date of birth” and that “the acquisition of a birthdate, particularly when combined with location information for younger users, can be used to successfully predict Social Security numbers.”

If you’re not worried, you’re not Googling | Good Morning Silicon Valley