Is anything "ungoogleable"?

Want to erase your digital trail? Sorry, an Internet never forgets. It's hard to escape the long arm, watchful eye, and perfect memory of Google - unless you pay for it.

And pay for it you can, notes the BBC.

"Imagine the person who has been photographed in a compromising position at university and had the picture posted online," it writes. "What happens when they try to get a job as a lawyer? For this very reason there are firms that promise to move people down search-engine lists."

The street phrase for such digital invisibility is "ungoogleable." Sort of the opposite of "unforgettable".

"There are firms managing people's online reputations," says Cameron Hulett, executive director of digital marketing company Undertone. "Ungoogleability is the extreme form - you are not just managing it you are removing it altogether."

The story notes that some shady websites like those trading drugs use software to create anonymous online networks.

But they're not the only ones who could benefit from a dose of invisibility. Many of us could, really. The story singles out activists in China, as well as bars and pubs wishing to avoid cheating during quiz night.

There are some common tips to help anyone at home trying to throw people off their Google scent.

For instance, a band called -isq chose its odd name with a hyphen in front deliberately to make it difficult to find them in a Google search - counter intuitive branding intended to create allure and mystique.

Maybe the band should remake the old Nat King Cole song. Altogether now: "Ungoogleable. That's what you are."

Photo from Loveteamin via Wikimedia

This post was originally published on Smartplanet.com