Truly Disappearing: Powering Our Own Perpetual Surveillance?
Truly Disappearing: Powering Our Own Perpetual Surveillance?  
Podcast: Ruined By The Internet? | Uncovering the human cost of our digital world
Published On: Wed Dec 10 2025
Description: 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.Follow or subscribe to never miss the next investigation - new episodes regularly.Visit us: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/Help us investigate ourselves: https://www.ruinedbytheinternet.com/survey/Support the show: https://buymeacoffee.com/rbtishowIn 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 age01:48 - How digital growth transformed the art of investigation04:13 - Understanding digital footprints: what you leave without knowing it08:04 - The interplay between online and offline data trails11:32 - The right to be forgotten: what it promises and what it actually delivers17:50 - The future of investigation in the age of AI20:32 - The challenge of truly disappearing in a connected world22:16 - The art of disappearing: is it still possible?23:00 - Digital privacy and security measures that actually work24:29 - Understanding malware and the digital threats most people ignore25:28 - Identity theft and its real world consequences27:08 - Creating a new identity in a world that never forgets28:46 - The role of technology in helping - and hindering - disappearance30:13 - Government surveillance and digital IDs: how much do they know?31:53 - The risks of centralised information and who controls it33:25 - Practical steps for digital hygiene you can take todayGuest links - Lachlan JarvisWebsite: https://www.investigators.net.au/Twitter/X: https://x.com/Lyonswood_PIInstagram: https://www.instagram.com/lyonswoodinvestigations/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/LyonswoodInvestigationsYouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@lyonswoodinvestigations