In the startling wake of Facebook’s connection to now-defunct Cambridge Analytica and implications of data breaches, possible illegal or illicit selling of personal information, and hand-wringing changes that are bound to come in some form or another–more government oversight? internal regulations? There are implications to your online reputation.

How? No doubt there will be upcoming changes to Facebook and social media platforms and this could impact your web presence.

It depends on a bunch of variables, such as what platforms you use, how you use them, and what changes are coming, but here are some possible changes to be mindful of.

Generally, it could lower your Facebook profile showing up in Google searches, possibly exposing negative links that were buried or impact your business in a big way. Here are three ways how.

Greater Scrutiny of Content

For those of you with iffy content in the form of poorly written posts or attempting to “game the system” by crafting promotional pieces, lookout.  Facebook and other platforms will continue, as they have been, to crack down on bad content.
The antidote: write for humans, not for upvotes. Present posts that genuinely are helpful for your readers or followers.

Crackdown on Fake Accounts

It might seem like a good idea to create a fake Facebook account in order to “Like” your own posts, but those days are over. If you were able to get away with it in the past, look for greater scrutiny of fake accounts, false comments or Likes posted to them.

Instead, garner real friends, connections, and potential clients to grow your business in legitimate ways.

Selling of Your Data Could Inadvertently Compromise Your Online Reputation

If someone is selling your data–legally or illegally–it could inadvertently impact your online reputation. For example, someone could steal your identity and post “trolling” comments about someone else pretending to be you. Or, maybe your data could be sold and the third party could be breached itself, exposing personal information to data thieves.

What this Means for Your Online Reputation

The problem with all of these examples is that they could hurt your online reputation in various and unexpected ways.

If Facebook becomes more stringent or further regulated, it could lose active followers. This in turn might impact where Google ranks your Facebook account in searches for your business. This could then lead to less engagement with your customers, or just less business.

Or say a competitor or disgruntled ex-employee wrote something negative about your business, but it was showing up on the second or third page of Google searches. With possible changes to Facebook, these negative comments could suddenly move to the front page; this would be very damaging.

So, while there are issues related to Facebook, Cambridge Analytica, and the selling of your personal data, this could impact your online reputation in unexpected ways and damage your business.