So in shocking news, internet searches revealed that there is really not a lot of information out there about me: Searching Pipl for ‘Rachel Kersley’ returned my Facebook and twitter accounts (as well as a number of accounts belonging to other Rachel Kersleys:
The twitter account obviously doesn’t have a great deal of personal detail available, and the Facebook account is almost untouched(mostly because of the fun anxiety issues I’ve talked about before). Meaning mostly that the available information is accurate, but not exactly informative. The same search on google gave the same sort of results, plus a hit from a writing site I submitted to a few years ago:
Searching for ‘Rae Kersley’ on google didn’t turn up any actual results, just a link to my google+ profile (also? Multiple spelling suggestions. Google does not seem to think Kersley is an acceptable word):
I wouldn’t have been surprised to find a bit more information, probably in the form of other people mentioning me, but I was pretty much expecting barely any information – again, I don’t tend to post things online that much. Beyond searching the internet generally, I also checked out https://www.google.ca/settings/ads, a site that lets you look at the information google has on you that influences what advertising you see, all based on the websites you visit. It’s occasionally disturbing, as a reminder of a complete lack of online privacy, but mostly it’s interesting and kind of hilarious: 
Like, where did Catalan come from? It is honestly a complete mystery. On a less hilarious note, the edit options for gender only have male and female, which is disappointing and also kind of odd, because google+ has non-binary options, which you would think would also be available for other google related things, but apparently not. The more entertaining part, for me, is the interests section, mostly because I like trying to guess what sites I’ve been on that google thinks I’m interested in Seattle-Tacoma or sports: 
Mostly, though, the interest section is reasonably accurate, which feels like the point where I should be concerned (because internet privacy) but I’m kind of…not. In theory I am, of course, at least in the abstract, because privacy is important, and people should have at least the option of it, but when it comes to me, and what’s available on the internet I’m just not really bothered. As has been established in some of my other posts, I’m not exactly the most private person in the world. I have definite concerns about privacy and mandatory data retention, but they don’t really relate to me personally – or at least, I’m not hugely concerned that there’ll be much of a direct impact on my life because of them. My worries are more to do with the fact that what essentially boils down to constant widespread governmental spying is part of a larger societal trend towards a cyberpunk dystopia. Primarily, I have no doubt that even if there are good intentions regarding data retention it will turn into a tool of oppression because we live in a society built on the oppression of ‘minorities’, full of micro-aggressions and other pervasive forms of bigotry and oppression, so it’s always going to turn into a tool of oppression. …Look, I’d apologise for making it about social justice, except that, one, it’s governments, privacy, and the use of individual’s data, social justice was always going to show up; and two, no, actually, I’m never going to apologise for making it about social justice, have you seen the social injustices that go on everyday? Talking about social justice is important.
nbraekae 