The internet has given us unprecedented connection. But thanks to relentless data retention and the constant tracking of our every digital move, is it now virtually impossible to shed our old identity and start a new life undetected?
We're joined by Lachlan Jarvis — private investigator, digital forensics expert, and Director of Lyonswood Investigations — who spends his career finding people who don't want to be found, and understands better than most just how permanent our digital trails really are.
Welcome to Ruined By The Internet? - the show where we examine how technology is shaping modern life - whether we want it to or not.
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In this episode we investigate how the digital landscape has made true anonymity virtually impossible, examine the difference between active and passive digital footprints and what each reveals, explore the right to be forgotten and why it rarely works in practice, and ask whether reinventing yourself in a world that never forgets is still genuinely possible.
00:00 - Introduction to private investigation in the digital age
01:48 - How digital growth transformed the art of investigation
04:13 - Understanding digital footprints: what you leave without knowing it
08:04 - The interplay between online and offline data trails
11:32 - The right to be forgotten: what it promises and what it actually delivers
17:50 - The future of investigation in the age of AI
20:32 - The challenge of truly disappearing in a connected world
22:16 - The art of disappearing: is it still possible?
23:00 - Digital privacy and security measures that actually work
24:29 - Understanding malware and the digital threats most people ignore
25:28 - Identity theft and its real world consequences
27:08 - Creating a new identity in a world that never forgets
28:46 - The role of technology in helping - and hindering - disappearance
30:13 - Government surveillance and digital IDs: how much do they know?
31:53 - The risks of centralised information and who controls it
33:25 - Practical steps for digital hygiene you can take today
Guest links - Lachlan Jarvis
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