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Study guide · 2.1

Create and manage multiple digital identities

Most people have more than one digital identity: a personal one for friends and family and a professional one for school or work. Keeping them separate and managing many logins safely protects your reputation and your accounts.

A study feature written by ExamDragon, not part of the real exam. Each heading is one of Certiport's skills for this objective.

2.1.1Differentiate between personal and professional digital identities

  • A personal identity covers social media, gaming and personal email; a professional identity covers work email, career networks and school accounts.
  • Use a professional email address and a clear, appropriate profile photo and name for work and study.
  • Check privacy settings so personal posts are visible only to the people you choose.
  • Assume employers and schools may search your name; keep public content something you would be comfortable with them seeing.
  • Do not use a work or school account for personal sign-ups; you may lose access when you leave.

Example: A graduate uses a name-based email and a career networking profile for job applications, and keeps holiday photos on a private personal account.

2.1.2Manage multiple site credentials

  • Use a different strong password for every site so one leak does not open your other accounts.
  • A password manager stores and fills unique passwords and can generate strong ones; you remember only one master password.
  • Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA), such as an authenticator app code or a passkey, wherever it is offered.
  • Passkeys let you sign in with your device's fingerprint, face or PIN instead of a password on supported sites.
  • Keep recovery email and phone details up to date, and sign out of shared devices.

Example: After a shopping site reports a data breach, a user who has unique passwords in a password manager only needs to change that one password.

Key terms

Digital identity
The information about you that exists online, including accounts, posts and profiles.
Credentials
The details used to prove who you are, such as a username and password.
Password manager
An app that securely stores and fills your passwords.
Multi-factor authentication
Signing in with two or more kinds of proof, such as a password and a code.
Passkey
A sign-in method that uses a key stored on your device and unlocked by biometrics or a PIN.

Easy to confuse

  • Reusing one strong password everywhere is still risky; one breach exposes every account.
  • Deleting a post does not guarantee it is gone; others may have copied it.
  • Signing in with a social account links the two identities; consider which account you use.

After this guide: You can keep personal and professional identities separate and manage many accounts with unique passwords and MFA.