Therapy for Black Girls – Session 445: Eliminating Your Digital Footprint

Host: Dr. Joy Harden Bradford
Guest: Camille Stewart Gloster, attorney & strategist in technology, cybersecurity, and national security
Date: January 7, 2026

Episode Overview

In this episode, Dr. Joy Harden Bradford kicks off the January Jumpstart series with a conversation focused on digital footprints: what they are, why they matter, and how Black women can take ownership of their digital presence. Attorney and cybersecurity strategist Camille Stewart Gloster joins to discuss the risks of existing online, practical ways to safeguard one's information, the nuances AI brings to privacy, and how to have healthy conversations about tech with kids. Together, they offer empowering strategies for navigating the digital world intentionally and securely.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Nature and Stories of Our Digital Footprint

• Digital footprints include more than social media: Any online activity (social posts, old school records, mentions, shared photos) plus data leaks and shady directories shape how we’re perceived.
  • “Your digital footprint is likely all of your social media, and it is a culmination of data you've inputted into a bunch of random sites.” — Camille Stewart Gloster [09:54]
• AI changes online narratives: With AI browsers curating personalized search results and profiles, the narrative about you can be stitched together from disparate data points—accurate or not.

Online Intentionality and Boundaries

• Be proactive in curating your presence:
  • Choose what’s public vs private
  • Reassess after life changes, e.g., becoming a parent
  • “Be intentional, be thoughtful, take the time to think about what you want to say about yourself and who you are… what are you saying with every account that you set up?” — Camille Stewart Gloster [08:01]
• Boundaries for professional vs personal exposure:
  • Decide whether family, home life, or children are part of your public persona
  • “My recommendation is not to stay offline. As you can see, I'm online. I think it is a great opportunity for connection... There can be boundaries.” — Camille Stewart Gloster [36:51]

Security and Privacy Best Practices

• Scrub your data
  • Use services like Delete Me and Canary to remove personal information from aggregators and shady directories
  • Set up Google Alerts or TalkWalker alerts for your name and business to monitor new info leaks [14:53]
  • “There are tools like Delete Me and Canary… that can help you scrape the Internet for email, Social Security number, phone number, any sensitive data…” — Camille Stewart Gloster [09:54]
• Basic cyber hygiene:
  • Turn on multi-factor authentication (MFA) everywhere [18:07]
  • Use password managers; don’t recycle old or simple passwords
  • Don’t sign into new sites via Google or Facebook unless essential
  • Update software regularly for security patches
  • Use privacy-focused browsers (DuckDuckGo), block trackers, deny cookie requests when possible
  • Be cautious about app permissions; only grant what’s needed in the moment [21:25]
  • “Turn on multi factor authentication on everything.” — Camille Stewart Gloster [18:07]

Black Women’s Unique Vulnerabilities

• Why digital privacy matters especially for Black women:
  • Public commentary can be weaponized
  • Activists and visible Black women face higher risk of doxing, SWATting, and harassment
  • The push for equity and representation online comes with added scrutiny and safety concerns
  • “A lot of Black women are standing up and speaking out… With the amount of visibility each person gets… a lot of us become targets when we didn't anticipate.” — Camille Stewart Gloster [16:11]

Psychological Impacts & Coping

• Digital vigilance can feel overwhelming:
  • Normalize treating digital safety like physical safety; small steps matter
  • Avoid notification overload; practice “pull” rather than “push” for information
  • Seek in-person community to balance online interaction
  • “In your physical safety, you trust the police, the fire department... and then you take your sphere of influence... I want people to be intentional about that, and I think that helps relieve the mental load.” — Camille Stewart Gloster [23:05]
• Recognize limits of tech as “connection”:
  • AI companions are not a substitute for real relationships or therapy
  • Maintain healthy skepticism about what tech provides

AI’s New Layer of Complexity

• AI-powered search and synthesis:
  • AI browsers and models will curate single “stories” about people
  • Errors or bias in AI summaries could fuel harassment or misrepresentation [27:26]
• AI and children:
  • Using emojis over kids’ faces is no longer secure—AI can reconstruct faces
  • Sex predators and harmful groups may misuse public children’s images
  • Be intentional about what, why, and with whom you share child-related content [30:16]
  • “AI has figured out how to scrub that clean. And now people still have the face of your child.” — Camille Stewart Gloster [30:16]
• Don’t rush into adopting new AI-enabled products (e.g., toys):
  • Wait to see how user data is handled and what risks arise [39:10]
  • “I would say your best bet actually is to let it roll out, see how people use it, see where some of the harms pop up, and then adjust your use accordingly.” — Camille Stewart Gloster [39:10]

Talking to Kids About Technology

• Create ongoing, honest family discussions:
  • Talk about AI and tech at the dinner table as new tools and risks emerge
  • Make tech decisions aligned with family values; set boundaries according to age and needs
  • “Your kids are creating their values and their boundaries based on what they hear from you. And your candor about your fears, your concerns, and you figuring it out is going to be a big part of them wrestling with and understanding this.” — Camille Stewart Gloster [41:19]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

“If someone else were curating who you are, if they are to pull from all the available sources and tell a story about you, what story is that?” — Camille Stewart Gloster [08:01]

“Multi factor authentication is really important because when someone gets a hold of your password... they still can't get into your account because they need to have the other credential.” — Camille Stewart Gloster [18:07]

“It used to be that you'd have to be able to come find me physically to say your negative or positive comments. And so the scale of that was negligible, even though it could still be harmful. Now every troll, every random, can say something to you about the work that you're doing or about your personhood, and they often do make it very personal.” — Camille Stewart Gloster [23:05]

"AI has figured out how to scrub that clean. And now people still have the face of your child." — Camille Stewart Gloster [30:16]

“Your kids are creating their values and their boundaries based on what they hear from you.” — Camille Stewart Gloster [41:19]

Timestamps for Key Segments

• [04:50] – Camille on personal digital intentionality and cybersecurity as dinner conversation
• [05:55] – How becoming a parent changed Camille’s approach to digital visibility
• [08:01] – Professional curation of online persona and the risk of AI-curated profiles
• [09:54] – What constitutes the average person’s digital footprint; tools to reclaim privacy
• [14:53] – Data breaches, notifications, and monitoring your digital exposure
• [18:07] – Concrete steps for proactive digital security
• [23:05] – The psychological toll of digital vigilance & practical coping strategies
• [27:26] – AI as a fundamental shift in how people are perceived online
• [30:16] – AI’s failure of privacy workarounds for children, intentional tech parenting
• [35:01] – Deleting vs. deactivating social media and where data really goes
• [36:42] – Balancing visibility for business with personal privacy for Black women entrepreneurs
• [41:19] – How to talk to kids about AI and technology, with flexibility and openness

Resources & Where to Find Camille

• Website: camillestewartgloster.com
• Instagram: @camillesq
• Substack: Command Line with Camille
  • Contains articles on age-appropriate tech use, AI ecosystem updates, cybersecurity

Final Thoughts

Protecting your digital footprint is practical, not paranoid: it’s about intentionality, boundaries, and self-care. Small adjustments—like enabling multi-factor authentication or talking openly with your family—make a real difference in resilience. Technology’s narrative isn’t written for you; you get to author your own story online, especially as social media and AI make you more visible than ever. Stay curious, stay intentional, and let experts like Camille do the heavy lifting to keep you ahead of the privacy curve.