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Your Digital Footprint: What the Internet Knows About You

July 31, 20258 min read

As a high-profile individual, you inevitably leave digital traces. The question is: Do you know the complete picture?

The Reality of Digital Exposure

Successful people are visible – in trade publications, at conferences, in business reports. This visibility is both desired and necessary. However, what many underestimate is that the sum of this public information creates a detailed profile that can be used for various purposes.

In our analyses for board members, entrepreneurs, and public figures, we consistently find that most people know only about 30% of their digital presence. The remaining 70% is often surprising – and sometimes problematic.

What a Professional Analysis Typically Reveals

After conducting over 200 analyses, we've found that certain information categories appear repeatedly.

Business Connections and Private Relationships

Commercial registers contain more than just company data. We regularly find private residential addresses of managing directors, including historical ones. Additionally, there are connections to family members who were registered as shareholders. This data is aggregated by credit agencies and remains accessible for decades – even if the company ceased operations long ago.

Real Estate and Its Digital Mapping

Here's what makes the difference: Street View images from various providers, combined with high-resolution aerial images from state surveying offices – these have significantly better quality than Google satellite images. Together with publicly accessible building applications, a precise picture of the property and the owner's financial circumstances emerges. Property boundaries, pool facilities, security measures – all clearly visible.

Resident Registers and Information Blocks

An underestimated vulnerability: We systematically check whether an information block exists in the resident register. If not, anyone can request your current address for a small fee. Many high-profile individuals don't even know this possibility exists – much less that they could protect themselves against it.

Trademark Registrations as Data Leaks

Trademark and patent applications often contain the full name and private address of the applicant. This data is public and accessible indefinitely – even if the trademark has long been abandoned.

The New Dimension of Data Breaches

It's no longer just about old passwords. A recent example: A client had ordered online from a premium wine merchant years ago. The retailer was hacked. What was compromised: Name, private mobile number, residential address, email, and even the names of other people at the same delivery address.

This data is now circulating on the dark web. The danger: Criminals not only know where you live but also that you can afford premium products. It's a perfect profile for targeted attacks. This threat is growing exponentially – new breaches are added every month.

The Professional Perspective: OSINT in Practice

OSINT – Open Source Intelligence – is not amateur work, but professional tradecraft. Intelligence services, journalists, and unfortunately criminals use these methods daily.

An example from our practice:

A mid-market business owner commissioned us for an analysis. We found:

  • His current and three previous private addresses
  • Family members and their addresses
  • High-resolution images of his property
  • Complete contact details from a retail data breach
  • No information block in the resident register

The client was surprised – not because we had uncovered secrets, but because he had underestimated how interconnected public information can be.

Why This Matters

The aggregated data enables various attack scenarios.

What becomes possible with this information:

  • Targeted phishing attacks using personal details that establish credibility
  • Convincing identity theft attempts at banks or government agencies
  • Social engineering attacks leveraging insider knowledge about family relationships
  • Unwanted contact attempts at your residence

These are not theoretical scenarios. We are regularly contacted after exactly such incidents have occurred. The impact ranges from annoying harassment to serious financial damage.

Our Approach: Methodical, Discreet, Actionable

With 35 years of experience in security and investigation, we know where and how to search effectively. Our team combines:

Criminal Methodology

from police and intelligence services

Technical Expertise

in digital forensics

Professional Tools

worth over €50,000 annually

54 Billion Records

from breaches for cross-reference

We don't create threat scenarios. We document facts.

Your Next Step

You have three options:

1.

Ignore

Hope that your digital presence is unproblematic

2.

Research Yourself

With limited resources and without access to professional databases

3.

Get Professional Analysis

Gain clarity through systematic investigation

Our Offer: A Confidential Initial Consultation

In 30 minutes we'll clarify:

  • Your specific risk profile
  • Potential vulnerabilities in your industry
  • The value of a comprehensive professional analysis

No cookie-cutter solutions. No fear tactics. An honest assessment from experts.

Schedule appointment:

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The digital world forgets nothing. A professional analysis shows you what it knows about you.

Ready for the Next Step?

Get clarity about your digital presence