How to Protect Your Online Presence

Chapter 1: Why Most Approaches Fail — and What Actually Works

You have a password manager. You have two-factor authentication on your email. You delete suspicious emails and you are careful about the links you click. You are not a novice. You have done everything the articles tell you to do. So why do you still feel exposed?

That feeling isn't irrational. A recent report from the Identity Theft Resource Center shows that data compromises in the U.S. hit an all-time high in 2023, with over 350 million individuals affected by data brokering and corporate breaches. Meanwhile, the average person tries to fight this fire with a checklist they found online, a checklist that focuses almost entirely on a single point: your password.

The common wisdom is wrong because it is a list of tactics, not a system. It tells you to create complex passwords and enable multi-factor authentication. It tells you to update your software and beware of phishing. All of this is true, but it is also true that a castle with strong walls is not a safe castle if you forgot to lock the postern gate, or if you built it on a swamp. A thief rarely spends time picking the complex lock on the front door when the service entrance is wide open.

This is why you are still anxious. You have been patching holes in the front wall, but you have not looked at the entire perimeter. The advice has you laser-focused on the moment