EN | ΰ€Ήΰ€Ώΰ€‚
πŸ” How They Find You

Your Digital Footprint

Here's how strangers can connect your accounts, find your location, and identify you β€” even when you think you're private.

Why this matters: Most harassment, stalking, and targeted scams begin with the harasser finding information you didn't realise was public. Understanding how they do it helps you close the gaps.
πŸ–ΌοΈ Reverse image search β€” how your photo identifies you +

A reverse image search lets anyone upload your photo and find every other place that photo appears online β€” including your other social media accounts, news articles, or websites you've been mentioned in.

What someone can do with your photo:

  • Find your Instagram, LinkedIn, Facebook, or Twitter by uploading a photo from one platform
  • Find your college yearbook page or news coverage
  • Link your "anonymous" account to your real identity if you've used the same photo anywhere
  • Find your employer, college, or location through photos from those places

How to check what a reverse image search finds on you:

  1. Go to images.google.com on your phone or computer.
  2. Tap the camera icon β†’ upload one of your profile photos.
  3. Also try TinEye.com β€” it often finds results Google misses.
  4. Review all results. Any account or page you don't want linked to your identity is a vulnerability.

What to do about it:

  • Use different profile photos on different platforms if you want to separate your identities
  • Set your Instagram profile photo to visible only to followers (not to the public)
  • Use a slightly different crop or filter on each platform's photo to make cross-platform matching harder
  • Request removal from sites that host your photo without permission (use Google's image removal tool)
βœ… Catfish check: If someone on a matrimonial or dating site seems suspicious, reverse image search their photo. If it appears on multiple profiles with different names β€” they're using a fake identity.
πŸ“ Metadata in photos β€” your GPS location hidden in images +

Every photo taken on a smartphone can contain hidden data called EXIF metadata. This data travels with the image file and can include your exact GPS coordinates at the time the photo was taken.

What EXIF data can reveal:

  • Exact latitude and longitude (accurate to within metres)
  • Date and time the photo was taken
  • Phone model and camera settings
  • Sometimes β€” your device name or username

When is this dangerous?

  • If you send original photo files over WhatsApp, email, or Telegram (without compression)
  • If you upload photos to platforms that don't strip metadata (some do, many don't)
  • If a harasser receives your photo β€” they can use free tools to extract your home/office address from it

How to check and remove metadata:

  • Android: Open a photo β†’ Details β†’ you'll see if location is recorded. Turn off location tagging: Camera app β†’ Settings β†’ Location tags β†’ Off.
  • iPhone: Settings β†’ Privacy β†’ Location Services β†’ Camera β†’ Never (stops storing location in photos). To remove from existing photos: open photo β†’ tap β„Ή β†’ Adjust β†’ Remove location.
  • Free tool: VerEXIF.com β€” upload any photo and see all metadata it contains. Also lets you remove it.
⚠️ Most social media platforms (Instagram, Facebook, Twitter) strip metadata when you upload. But WhatsApp in "Document" mode, email attachments, and Telegram may send the original file with metadata intact.
πŸ‘€ Username reuse β€” how your accounts get linked +

If you use the same username across multiple platforms (say, "priya_sharma92"), anyone can search that name and find all your accounts β€” including ones you consider private or anonymous.

The risk:

  • Your Instagram, Twitter, Reddit, Quora, and gaming accounts can all be connected by a single username search
  • If one account is public and shows personal information, that information now extends to all your accounts
  • An "anonymous" account with the same username as your real account is no longer anonymous

Tools harassers use:

  • Sherlock and similar username-search tools can check 300+ platforms for a username in seconds
  • Simple Google search: just typing a username in quotes finds most public profiles

What to do:

  • Check your own username: search "your_username" (in quotes) on Google and see what comes up
  • Use different usernames on platforms you want to keep separate β€” especially anonymous forums or support communities
  • Change usernames on accounts you want to make harder to connect
βœ… You don't need to have different usernames everywhere β€” just be conscious that wherever you use the same one, those accounts can be linked by anyone.
πŸ—ΊοΈ Location leaks from stories and posts +

Even without adding a location tag, your posts and stories can reveal where you are, where you live, and your daily routine β€” to anyone who pays attention.

How your location leaks:

  • Location stickers in stories β€” obvious and visible to all followers, or the public if your account is public
  • Background details in photos β€” street signs, landmarks, building names, or recognisable locations in the background of selfies
  • Check-ins β€” posting "at [restaurant name]" tells people exactly where you are right now
  • Tagging your college, gym, or workplace creates a map of your regular locations over time
  • Time patterns β€” "morning coffee at [cafe]" posted every Monday tells someone exactly when and where to find you
  • Snapchat Snap Map β€” if enabled, your Snapchat friends (and potentially strangers) can see your real-time location on a map

Fix Snapchat Map immediately:

  1. Open Snapchat β†’ tap your profile icon (top left).
  2. Tap the map icon β†’ Settings (gear icon).
  3. Enable Ghost Mode β€” this makes your location invisible to everyone.
βœ… Rule of thumb: Post photos a few hours after leaving a place. Never post in real time when you're alone. Your followers don't need to know your exact location at every moment.
πŸ“§ Exposed email and phone number β€” finding the hidden connection +

Your phone number and email address are the backbone of your online identity β€” and they may be more visible than you think.

Where your phone/email may be exposed:

  • Instagram contact info: Settings β†’ Account β†’ Personal Information β€” check if your phone/email is visible to "Everyone"
  • Facebook: Profile β†’ About β†’ Contact and basic info β€” who can see your phone/email?
  • WhatsApp: Your number is visible to anyone in your contacts. Anyone who has your number can find you on WhatsApp.
  • Data breaches: If a website you used was hacked, your email and sometimes phone number may be in publicly available breach data
  • Old forum posts, Quora answers, or blog comments may contain your email

Check if your data has been breached:

  • Visit haveibeenpwned.com β€” enter your email address and it shows which data breaches your account appeared in
  • If your email appears in a breach β€” change passwords for all accounts that use that email immediately

How to hide your contact info:

  • Instagram: Settings β†’ Account β†’ Personal Information β†’ Phone β†’ "Only me"
  • Facebook: Settings β†’ Privacy β†’ "Who can see your friends list / phone number" β†’ "Only me"
  • WhatsApp: Settings β†’ Privacy β†’ Phone number β†’ "My contacts" (minimum)
🌐 Google search visibility β€” what shows up when someone searches your name +

Before a harasser approaches you, they likely Google your name. Here's what they might find β€” and how to reduce it.

Search your own name right now:

  1. Open a private/incognito browser window (so your own browsing history doesn't influence the results).
  2. Search: "Your Full Name" (in quotes), then "Your Full Name" city/college.
  3. Also search your phone number and email address in quotes.
  4. Note everything that appears β€” images, profiles, articles, forum posts.

How to remove things from Google:

  • Remove from the source: The most effective solution β€” delete the content from the website where it lives (your own posts, old forum accounts, etc.)
  • Request Google de-index: Use Google's removal request tool to request removal of personal information like your phone number, home address, or non-consensual intimate images from search results
  • Contact the site: For content you can't delete yourself, email the site's admin or use their contact/takedown form
βœ… Google now has a dedicated tool to remove personal information (phone, address, email) from search results. It's free and doesn't require a lawyer.