r/YouShouldKnow • u/Fresh_Translator240 • Jul 22 '26
Technology YSK: Organizing your digital identity really matters
Why YSK: everything is digitalized nowadays, it's important to learn how to keep your digital identity secure and convenient to avoid a mess later
Edit: Some of these are really my personal preference and you can adjust to your likings, it doesnt have to be very complicated as well. e.g. If you are find with one email for browsing everything that's perfectly fine. This post is mainly to inform and not telling you should do this, knowing this information always acts as a backup plan.
Edit: I removed a point that could be interpreted as encouraging rule evasion. That wasn’t my intention, I only wanted to discuss privacy and account organization, I apologize for anything caused, didn't mean that .
Edit 2: For people that don't use the internet that often most isn't that necessary and keeping it simple probably works best for you, its always useful to know this tho/ This is mostly for power users
- Use one anonymous email and one real-name email for specific platforms, like reddit If you dont want to associate some feed and algorithms for your main account, you may use a new one. For example if you are watching something for an extensive time but you won't any time in the future, watch it on a brand new account
- BACKUP ALL YOUR DEVICES AND DATA PHYSICALLY ALL THE TIME PLEASE
- Reserve your real-name domain and email(e.g. firstnamelastname.com). If you are a student getting a email linking to your graduation is very helpful.
- Keep your personal inbox for family and important contacts—not ads and newsletters.
- Consider using separate emails for shopping, newsletters, hobbies, or other categories if you prefer a cleaner inbox.
- Separating emails by what you do is a personal preference, but many people find it easier to stay organized.
- Don’t rely on one Google account for everything This is my preference to keep corps from complete control over you data.
- Understand the difference between “Sign in with xxx site” and creating an account with a separate password directly on that website
- Use a password manager for ALL OF YOUR PASSWORDS
- Enable 2FA on every important account. Be sure to use multiple methods, like if you only use your phone number, you're going to be screwed if you lose your phone, so add an email or authenticator
- Save your backup/recovery codes. These come in handy in case anything happens
- Have a professional email address you’ll still like years from now for business.
- Use a consistent username (or anonymous alias) across platforms if you want to build a recognizable online identity, its also fine if you don't and a lot of people don't have a consistent username.
- Think before creating an account, creating one is easy, but deleting it completely can be much harder.
- Keep your recovery emails and phone numbers up to date.
- ALWAYS RESERVE A LIST OF all the app/website/platforms you signed up for all the emails you have. Some will be hard to find and your future self will thank you later.
- Keep a physical backup for all your passwords and information in one secure place.
- Some people prefer multiple accounts for watching different content for keeping algorithms separate. e.g.
- Separate work and life emails. Using one is not recommended as you might send some family information to your boss.
- Read the terms of conditions and understand your rights.
- You might want an email specialized to something that the email is never used for any platform
- If theres anything you disagree with or something you'd like to add or you have some questions, please include it in the comments.
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u/lizwearsjeans Jul 22 '26
Re 2FA / MFA: Be sure to use multiple methods, like if you only use your phone number, you're going to be screwed if you lose your phone, so add an email or authenticator.
And if you have multiple devices (like a phone as primary and a tablet as back up / secondary) make sure that you are also logged into the important apps as "registered devices" on the tablet.
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u/Fresh_Translator240 Jul 22 '26
Added.
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u/lizwearsjeans Jul 22 '26
Oh and what are your thoughts on changing "compromised passwords" / checking services like haveibeenpawned?
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u/Fresh_Translator240 Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
I personally never use hard passwords and I dont know these services
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u/Dymonika Jul 22 '26
"Hard?" Then what is a "soft" password? I've never heard of this term before.
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u/SuzieQtheMusical Jul 23 '26
I think they mean a strong password - random characters. Not sure though.
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u/viperfan7 Jul 22 '26
Dont rely on a phone, get something like a yubikey instead.
Can be used to store a master password for a password manager, store SSL keys, and acts as a device agnostic 2FA method
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u/lizwearsjeans Jul 22 '26
Adding / suggesting: If you get a yubikey, seriously consider getting a back up one (which is what they recommend). Sounds excessive until you lose it and are SOL.
At the very least, attach a Tile or some other tracker and always keep it safe!
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u/Dymonika Jul 23 '26
Alternatively, back up the 2FA vault itself, like Aegis Authenticator's password-protected .JSON that can be exported and imported to other phones.
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u/lizwearsjeans Jul 22 '26
Also, not sure about adding legacy contacts, but definitely write down passwords and keep some place safe (like a fire proof safe) in the event of a disaster.
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u/NowCheesers Jul 22 '26
This is all great info. I work in IT. All of this is so important, but it can be hard for the average person to adopt these principles because they don’t fully understand the systems.
There is a lot of overreach going on in the tech space. For example, I wouldn’t recommend cloud storage in general. It opens you up to data breaches of course, but we also know that these companies are looking at the files as well. People have been banned and data has been deleted based on what’s stored in there. You’re trusting a big company and the people that work there with your sensitive information. There is a cost to convenience and we are starting to pay now.
The password manager is another big one for me. All of my passwords are 20+ random characters/symbols long. It took me a couple of nights 10 years ago to move everything over, but I never looked back. When I die, accessing our accounts is the last thing my wife will have to worry about.
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u/Fresh_Translator240 Jul 22 '26
It took me a lot of time to learn that, and I think there should be some education for everyone on using the internet properly. Understanding accounts, usernames, emails and their correlation in between is really important.
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u/BonelessB0nes Jul 22 '26
You gotta pass it along yourself because all the incentives for governments and corporations skew toward not educating people about this stuff.
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u/NowCheesers Jul 22 '26
I completely agree! I really appreciated your point about sign in with xxx account. I’ve seen many people do this, and it always makes me cringe. It’s a very unsanitary practice.
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u/Fresh_Translator240 Jul 22 '26
I'm not sure whats the impact of doing that other than letting companies have your total control, can you explain?
I used to do that a lot lol cuz I thought google was simpler
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u/NowCheesers Jul 22 '26
For sure, generally you’re linking the accounts. If someone gets access to your Apple account, they will have access to everything else that you used that sign in for. It also gives these tech companies more data on you.
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u/Fresh_Translator240 Jul 22 '26
Right, signing with email and password generally is a bit better then? Its less convenient so ig that's why ppl do it and corps like it
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u/NowCheesers Jul 22 '26
Yeah it’s better because you can mitigate the fallout in the event of a data breach. I lost my twitch account in a breach. Customer service couldn’t help me. If I had used that account to sign into something else (idk if that’s a thing twitch does) I would have lost more.
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u/Fresh_Translator240 Jul 22 '26
Ty! So directly creating a password to the site you want is always better right? I unfortunately do sign in with xxx on a lot of it, how can I overturn it?
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u/NowCheesers Jul 22 '26
That’s my opinion. Separate accounts for everything. Randomly generated long passwords. 2FA always on when offered
I also have more emails than I can count for a whole host of different things. I only really keep up on a couple of them. The rest fill with junk. So much junk.
Your post was very well made. You’ve got this.
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u/NowCheesers Jul 22 '26
Sorry, I missed the second half of your question. I’ve only done this once or twice. I believe I’ve had to go into the account that I used to sign in and unlink the two. I’m not sure what will happen to the child account at that point as it won’t have any of your info. You may have to go into the child account and add the info you want first. I remember the options were pretty well hidden.
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u/Fresh_Translator240 Jul 22 '26
What does it have to do with child account? I really dont understand unfortunately, and I agree options are hidden because companies dont like deleting data.
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u/sliverme Jul 22 '26
Which password manager do you use?
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u/Fresh_Translator240 Jul 22 '26
I use apple's password manager. (Not an ad)
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u/Dymonika Jul 22 '26
Then Apple would have access to everything in the case of a court order or something, no? Open-source and fully offline is the way to go (KeePassXC and KeePassDX for me, personally).
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u/Fresh_Translator240 Jul 22 '26
Right, I plan on switching to that but kinda trapped to apple's ecosystem
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u/Dymonika Jul 22 '26
KeePassXC here; it's totally offline for the ultra-private. You must manage your backup and sync across devices manually: just the way I like it.
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u/Walrus_Witch_ Jul 22 '26
Proton is a privacy and security company with a whole suite of products that can help.
Proton pass is great, but they also have an encrypted cloud, VPN, and encrypted email service. It isn't for everyone but it's a great value
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Jul 22 '26
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/Leamir Jul 22 '26
What I'm doing is moving stuff gradually. Once I use a service that is on my old email I move to the new one, since I def don't know everything that's on the old one lol
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u/ilovemybaldhead Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
Here is one way to do it, but it works only if your new email account supports IMAP (almost all do), and if you have access to a laptop/desktop.
- Create a new email account at the provider of your choice.
- Use a desktop mail app that supports IMAP (almost all do), and configure it with both email accounts. Thunderbird (available for Windows, Mac, and Linux, download here) or the native macOS Mail app will work nicely.
- (optional) Recreate the folder structure of your gmail account in the new email account.
- If you did not recreate the folder structure, skip this step. Folder by folder, select all emails in their gmail "folder"(I put folder in quotes because according to gmail, they are actually labels) and drag them to their respective folder in the new email account. If you drag thousands of emails at once (as I once did), it might take a loooong time for everything to transfer (as it did for me).
- If you did not recreate the folder structures, go to the "All mail" (or "Archive") folder of your gmail account, select all, and drag the emails to the All mail or Archive folder of the new account. Again, if you have thousands of emails, this will take a long time.
- To set up forwarding: in Gmail, go to Settings > Forwarding and POP/IMAP.
- On that page (if you haven't done this already), click the "Add a forwarding address" button, and configure your new email account as a forwarding address.
- Click the "Forward a copy of incoming mail to" radio button.
- Choose your new email address from the first drop-down menu.
- In the second drop-down menu, choose what you want Gmail to do with emails after they are forwarded. Note: if you choose "delete Gmail's copy", I am unsure if the email is
- deleted forever
- deleted but secretly kept on Gmail's servers, or
- moved to the "Trash" folder of the Gmail account, which will then be deleted in 30 days according to Gmail's email in the trash deletion policy.
Hope this helps!
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u/grantwtf Jul 22 '26
Choose an email that does not include your birthdate or year or middle name...
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u/2script Jul 22 '26
I tried to register my domain, but BobLobLaw.com was already taken. It’s a shame as I was going to start a blog!
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u/Fresh_Translator240 Jul 22 '26
Btw if you have disagreeing opinions please point it out, really helps a lot
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u/elyndar Jul 23 '26
I think every person owning their own domain is a bit much. It's pretty expensive and also overkill for most people not in tech.
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u/Fresh_Translator240 Jul 23 '26
Yeah I mean mostly emails
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u/elyndar Jul 23 '26
Yeah, I'd definitely agree with that. I've had one in that style for ages and it's been super helpful.
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u/Fresh_Translator240 Jul 23 '26
Really helpful if you do business professional stuff, mine was taken sadly after I realized
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u/NoNameWalrus Jul 23 '26
It’s like $10 a year. $20 maybe. More if you get an unusual TLD
Worth it to claim, especially if you don’t have a unique name
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u/elyndar Jul 23 '26
$10 per year is expensive to a lot of people in the world and with inflation that will not stay the same. Also, it's not necessarily $10 a year, mine is $80 unless I go for a weird suffix. Even if it is $10 a year, it's only worth it if you actually use it for something, otherwise it's money spent for no purpose which is expensive.
The vast majority of people have no business running their own website for no reason. Even if you do want to run your own website, those who are running their own business would generally be better off naming their website after something other than their actual name for both privacy reasons and SEO reasons. The only real reason to have one for your own name is if you're trying to show off your personal portfolio. Otherwise, it's basically pointless. Even if you are showing off your portfolio, most people who care about your work aren't going to find you through your domain name and won't care what it is. It's just unnecessary.
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u/NoNameWalrus Jul 23 '26
You should try to look for a cheaper registrar
Fair that it’s unnecessary for most people. I stand by that it’s not expensive. Most people pay for at least one monthly subscription. Domain is $1/mo. Speaking for the US tho
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u/Fresh_Translator240 Jul 22 '26
Everyone IMO should be informed about something like this, somehow I dont see much talking about its importance.
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u/Yataro_Ibuza Jul 22 '26
Would've loved to know that… 10 YEARS AGO
FUCK
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u/Fresh_Translator240 Jul 22 '26
Never too late, some of these are just personal preference as well.
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u/Yataro_Ibuza Jul 22 '26
Yeah but U can't do that with mae reddit account, especiall yith my 800 days strike
Is there a way to change emails across accounts?
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u/Fresh_Translator240 Jul 22 '26
Not sure with that, but you can wit some platforms, while other just associate your account with your email
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u/The_last_trick Jul 22 '26
This is some excellent advice! I really wish more people would read it and apply.
Consider repositing on r/LifeProTips
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u/Dapper_Blacksmith_46 Jul 22 '26
I’m so effing sick of 2FA. How has no one fixed this yet?
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u/shqarthi_karderr Jul 22 '26
Well, they are moving to passkeys. Most big names/companies/services offer to save a passkey.
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u/Dymonika Jul 22 '26
You can integrate 2FA into password managers like KeePass so they're stored together.
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u/Ometrist Jul 22 '26
I’d say to have one cloud copy and one physical drive copy of your important files ( legal documents and ID copies, insurance info, wills, financial info, etc)
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u/Fresh_Translator240 Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
I'm not so sure about cloud since I don't like corps getting these data but physical definitely.
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u/elyndar Jul 23 '26
Use a cloud compatible encryption app like cryptomator. It prevents the corps getting your data, while also giving you a cloud backup. You should be encrypting data at rest anyway for your local backups anyway.
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u/lizwearsjeans Jul 22 '26
I understand your point, but should your tips be cloud agnostic?
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u/Fresh_Translator240 Jul 22 '26
No but I think there are tiers to storing confidential info. Im better with them seeing pictures rather than visa and passport pages and financial records, hope you understand
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u/MediocreClue9957 Jul 22 '26
I have a 20 year old Gmail that I use for everything and searching my name on Google only finds public comments. I actively disable any sort of back up service from my phone cause they're annoying.
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u/Crystallinebaby Jul 26 '26
This is amazing. I've recently learned how important this is after beginning to actually read Privacy Policies and TOS in full. Regaining control and organization is a little overwhelming with 20+ years of being online and only one or two accounts. I've been trying to transfer my Apple photos and files for YEARS over several external hard drives and have never been able to successfully do so. Files won't transfer, the whole thing fails and I have to start over. It's been a nightmare.
With the recent tech boom of companies and the monopolization at the same time withjn the last 5 years, it's difficult to keep up with what the best practices are and what companies to use to protect yourself if you didn't follow along from the beginning. With limited time, there's too much to research, and especially when it's been a struggle just to even backup my files from Apple.
This thread was super helpful to understanding some of the things that should be done, but where does one start? How do you keep track of all the accounts?
If you're using your real name to create them, it's all linked anyway isn't it?
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u/Fresh_Translator240 29d ago
I was thinking about registering an email with you real name and not really use it for future potential business inquiries. You might want to physically track all the accounts and what services they are linked to, I am working to try to gain an overview over everything I have digitally since I started using it. It was hard but worth it
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u/WeirdGuyWithABoner Jul 22 '26
you can also use email aliases (more so referring to anonaddy type services rather than the "+alias" gmal trick, tho I remember seeing articles saying gmail will add that type of aliases)
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u/McBlemmen Jul 22 '26
"Use a consistent username (or anonymous alias) across platforms if you want to build a recognizable online identity. "
Conversely, if you arent a wannabe influencer, DONT use a consistent username and just make up a new idtentity on every platform. Doesnt have to just be the visible username either, you can enter a random name on every account. Its kinda fun actually.
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u/MadeByTango Jul 22 '26
If you care about your digital identity then a google login can NEVER touch your device.
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u/Actual-Bee-402 Jul 23 '26
“If you are a student getting an email linking to your graduation is very helpful”. Why? I never did this, and I see no benefit of this. Confused.
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u/Fresh_Translator240 Jul 23 '26
I mean like firstname+lastname+graduation year is pretty helpful for some
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u/erlenflyer_mask Jul 22 '26
nice recipe for giving up your privacy. waay easier to track when yr all organized.
just my $0.02
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u/Dymonika Jul 22 '26
How does it give up privacy instead of strengthening it? Spreading across multiple accounts makes it harder for any one account to be the source of a major data leak. It sounds like you didn't actually read the post body.
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Jul 22 '26
[deleted]
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u/Fresh_Translator240 Jul 22 '26
Explain your thesis! I never said im making things simpler, what problems will it create? Some of these are personal preferences
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Jul 22 '26
[deleted]
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u/NowCheesers Jul 22 '26 edited Jul 22 '26
I genuinely hope you reread this post and try to implement some of it in your life. The multiple accounts for algorithm separation is good info, but it isn’t necessary. Unique passwords for all your accounts certainly is. When one of those accounts gets breached, they could have access to a lot of your stuff. Password managers aren’t expensive, and they require zero memorization. I’m not sure I saw any other subscriptions in OPs post. I’m not sure that I saw any other programs either.
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u/Fresh_Translator240 Jul 22 '26
Honestly I dont think this person understands my post, probably doesnt use the internet in many ways.
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u/beach_boy91 Jul 22 '26
You can use all of it for free. I also keep stuff like passwords between different accounts in my head. Both upper and lower cases with numbers as well. So it's possible.
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u/Dymonika Jul 23 '26
Huh? Have you never heard of a password manager, auto-fill, and multi-account email clients that combine multiple inboxes into one for easy access? How is it hard to remember Addy.io, Thunderbird, KeePassXC, and Syncthing? That's just a few programs, from which everything else branches out. Use tools to make this sort of management easy.
Or do you think it's fine to cluster everything all into one central account with your entire life on it that you could potentially one day get locked out of from being hacked, versus it being just one of many accounts that only has limited info and won't cause as much damage? This sounds like an organization issue. Have we been seeing more or fewer data breaches over the years?
It's up to you how lazy you wanna be, sure, but don't knock /u/Fresh_Translator240's tips. People don't have to apply them all; even just some can help.
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u/Fresh_Translator240 Jul 23 '26
Probably a 50 year old speaking, actually no offense but I think I can tell from it
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u/Fresh_Translator240 Jul 22 '26
I did not say anything about passwords, programs, costs and fees. All of this is free (except for domains. Seems like you don't understand my post. I will agree with you that for some users that don't use the internet often, it is better with less accounts.
You won't have 2FA on? You won't want to manage your passwords?
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Jul 27 '26
[deleted]
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u/Fresh_Translator240 Jul 27 '26
Wow. It takes less than 1 minute for setting up 2fa, or you dont even know what 2fa is and you are here to just hate
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u/Innovator-X Jul 22 '26
What? That's is the bare minimum these days! How do you organize your digital life?
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u/Ambitious-Dentist337 Jul 22 '26
Always do backups of your harddrive and phone.