Michael Fertik (born October 1, 1978) is an American internet entrepreneur and privacy advocate known for pioneering the industry of

online reputation management Reputation management, refers to the influencing, controlling, enhancing, or concealing of an individual's or group's reputation. It is a marketing technique used to modify a person's or a company's reputation in a positive way. The growth of the ...

. He is the founder, current executive chairman, owner and former CEO of Reputation.com, Inc. a

Redwood City Redwood City is a city on the San Francisco Peninsula in the Bay Area of Northern California, approximately south of San Francisco and northwest of San Jose. The city's population was 84,292 according to the 2020 census. The Port of Redwo ...

technology company that sends take-down requests to websites hosting embarrassing content, attempts to influence search results, and help clients obtain positive reviews. He advocates that the internet be cautious to respect the privacy and reputations of people and businesses.

Career

Fertik earned a degree from

Harvard Law School Harvard Law School (HLS) is the law school of Harvard University, a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1817, Harvard Law School is the oldest law school in continuous operation in the United ...

. While earning his undergraduate, he co-founded and sold a software company called TruExchange. After he graduated, he served as a clerk for the Sixth Circuit of the United States Court of Appeals. During his position with the court, he was reading media stories about

cyber-bullying Cyberbullying (cyberharassment or online bullying) is a form of bullying or harassment using Electronic communication network, electronic means. Since the 2000s, it has become increasingly common, especially among teenagers and Adolescence, a ...

and the effect it had on people's lives in the real world. According to Fertik, "I noticed something about the Internet that really bothered me: Anyone could say anything about anybody with impunity. Right or wrong, true or false, outdated or misleading — it didn’t matter." He turned down a job offer he had in Washington and moved to Silicon Valley to start Reputation.com (formerly ReputationDefender) in 2006. Initially ReputationDefender was offering services for

and suppression of negative content, but later the ReputationDefender brand was sold off and the remaining company became known as just Reputation.com, and turned into a

software-as-a-service Software as a service (SaaS ) is a cloud computing service model where the provider offers use of application software to a client and manages all needed physical and software resources. SaaS is usually accessed via a web application. Unlike oth ...

platform. Reputation.com raised $67 million in venture capital. Originally it was intended for parents that wanted to protect their children's online reputation, but it ended up being professionals that were primarily interested in the service. As social media became more prevalent, it introduced more features for it. Fertik became known for pioneering the field of

. According to ''Forbes'' he "more or less invented the sector of online reputation management." He was named "Entrepreneur of the Year" by TechAmerica in 2010 and became a regular commenter on

internet privacy Internet privacy involves the right or mandate of personal privacy concerning the storage, re-purposing, provision to third parties, and display of information pertaining to oneself via the Internet. Internet privacy is a subset of data privacy. P ...

issues in national broadcast media. In 2010 Fertik co-authored a book with David Thompson entitled "''Wild West 2.0: How to Protect and Restore Your Online Reputation on the Untamed Social Frontier''". Fertik is on the Global Agenda Council on Internet Security for the

World Economic Forum The World Economic Forum (WEF) is an international non-governmental organization, international advocacy non-governmental organization and think tank, based in Cologny, Canton of Geneva, Switzerland. It was founded on 24 January 1971 by German ...

. He also blogs for the Harvard Business Review, and maintains a guest column for Inc. Magazine. Fertik also participates in and provides direction for various advocacy programs. He sits on the Advisory Boards of the Internet Keepsafe Coalition (iKeepSafe) and the Future of Privacy Forum. In 2017, Fertik participated in the

mockumentary A mockumentary (a portmanteau of ''mock'' and ''documentary'') is a type of film or television show depicting fictional events, but presented as a Documentary film, documentary. Mockumentaries are often used to analyze or comment on current event ...

Bubbleproof
' from Femto Films.

Views

Fertik is an advocate for respecting an individual's online privacy. He advocates for either regulation of the internet or raising awareness. Critics of Fertik's business say that it inhibits free speech or allows wealthy individuals to manipulate search results and marginalize their critics. Over time, the public's views on privacy have grown more aligned with Fertik's perspective. In an interview with ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''NYT'') is an American daily newspaper based in New York City. ''The New York Times'' covers domestic, national, and international news, and publishes opinion pieces, investigative reports, and reviews. As one of ...

'', Fertik said that companies should not manufacture fake reviews, because it is "inherently sleazy" and illegal. Instead, business can generate legitimate positive reviews from actual customers. He also advises that companies should respond to negative comment calmly. Regarding Twitter, he stated that "For all its trendiness, social media is often a waste of their time."

References

External links

Michael Fertik's personal website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Fertik. Michael 1978 births Living people American computer businesspeople American technology chief executives Harvard Law School alumni Businesspeople from New York City Harvard College alumni