A procurement analyst uses their real face as the sock-puppet avatar so the account looks trustworthy. What should the analyst do instead?
Select an answer to reveal the explanation.
Short Explanation
Putting a real face on the sock puppet is handing the internet a name-that-employee puzzle. Reverse image search does the rest. Research personas do not get staff headshots, badge photos, or team pictures.
Full Explanation
Do not back a research persona with real photos of staff. A procurement analyst using their real face as the sock-puppet avatar creates biometric and reverse-image linkage to the true identity even if the username is fake. Uploading a higher-resolution staff badge photo so teammates can reverse-search more easily worsens the exposure. Tagging city hall on the avatar so vendors recognize a civic reviewer defeats separation. Using a group photo of the procurement team merely spreads biometric risk across more people. Exam caveat: synthetic or properly licensed non-staff imagery may be allowed by policy, but stolen photos of real strangers create separate ethical problems. Operational check: confirm the avatar has no staff likeness and does not reverse-match to municipal portraits or badge photos before the persona goes live. Keep the civic purpose, method limits, and exhibit labels aligned so reviewers can see what was public-source work versus other authorities. Document residual uncertainty explicitly rather than implying completeness. Prefer reversible public methods and preserve exhibits that a second analyst can reopen without guessing. When sources conflict, record both locators and state the confidence level in plain language.