A digital footprint is a trace of where you’ve been and what you’ve been doing online. Among other things, it refers to websites you’ve visited, forms you’ve filled in, things you’ve bought, services you’ve subscribed to, and emails you’ve sent.
Websites often collect data that can contribute to the size of your digital footprint. Data that websites collect on visitors include:
- Your IP address — the dynamic number assigned to the device you used to connect
- How many times you’ve visited a page
- How long you stayed on the website
- What site you came from
- Where you went afterward
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So what? I’ve got nothing to be afraid of.
It’s not only conscientious marketers that want to track our activities and devices. Unscrupulous and overzealous marketers can be a nuisance when they have personal data, with their unsolicited communications evolving into spam.
Outright cybercriminals and scammers use the wealth of personal data online to launch scams, including phishing.
A digital footprint is bad news for anyone uncomfortable with others knowing how they spend their time online. Whether they have been involved in illegal activity or just spent an embarrassing amount of time gaming at work, a digital footprint might be something they want to manage.
For those unashamed of their internet usage, there remains the problem of cyber criminals and hackers who can use people’s digital footprints to track users’ activities and devices and gain personal information.
Allowing websites to download cookies and use other means of tracking you can not only increase your digital footprint, but they may also share or sell your information to third parties, which is one way to lose control of your personal data.
Anywhere you’ve subscribed or shared personal information could become subject to a data leak or data breach. This could expose personal information about you, further expanding your digital footprint, and putting you at more risk.
Sigh. Can’t digital footprints be good?
Some people deliberately try to grow their digital footprint. For example, an author wanting to sell more books online might wish to increase their digital footprint to improve the discoverability of their work.
They might achieve this by:
- maintaining a blog
- posting frequently on various social media platforms
- subscribing to industry newsletters
- becoming an expert contributor on platforms like Forbes, Medium, and Quora
- reviewing books by other authors on sites like Goodreads
- engaging in online activities relevant to and of interest to their potential readers
The important thing is that you understand that a digital footprint is something that can and should be managed.
A digital footprint isn’t inherently bad, but it’s wise to understand that marketers, potential employers, college administration staff, and cybercriminals can all use them in ways that affect you, your friends, and your family.
Okay, I’m sufficiently anxious. How do I manage my digital footprint?
The best way to manage your digital footprint is to use the internet consciously. The following tips will help.
Limit Your Data Sharing
The more places you post personal data, the more chance there is of someone sharing it, stealing it, or using it. Whenever a site asks you to sign up or subscribe, consider if it’s really worth the increase of your digital footprint.
Read Privacy Policies
Boring. Yes. But knowing that people often just click YES to privacy policies, companies can slip in horrendous clauses that allow them to sell your information to unvetted third parties. If you want fewer spam and scam communications, read privacy policies.
Vet Websites and Communications
Some websites are more trustworthy than others. Look out for signs of quality, such as privacy policies, professional design, and the use of HTTPS encryption (signified by a closed padlock).
Anti-malware software, such as McAfee Total Protection, offers web protection that lets users know if a search engine has suggested a potentially dangerous link.
If you are unsure about the authenticity of an email or website, use PhoneHistory to verify the number owner’s supposed identity against their listed name, location, carrier, social media profiles, and how they’ve used that number.
Use a Virtual Private Network (VPN)
A VPN masks your identity and, therefore, your tracks online. They are used by criminals who wish to commit crimes with less risk of being traced, but they are also used by people who want to maintain data privacy (and stop cybercriminals from tracking them).
Check Privacy Settings
Facebook is a great example of a site where it’s worth checking your privacy settings regularly. Privacy settings control how much information is shared and with whom.
Do the same for all your software and mobile apps to understand, limit, and manage your digital footprint.
Avoid Oversharing on Social Media
What you say stays. Don’t share your vacation dates. You might also want to hold back with strong political or religious views if you think they may be used against you in the future.
Freedom of speech is important, but so is privacy. And so is protecting yourself from people and organizations that might like to use your personal information against you.
Use Privacy-Focused Search
Google is notorious for tracking its users. That’s part of how it provides such a great search. However, they are not the only search engine in town.
DuckDuckGo prides itself on providing quality search without following you around the web and needing to know everything about you.
Avoid Unsecured, Public WiFi
Using the kind of password-free wifi you get in coffee shops, airports, and hotels is convenient, but it’s terrible for keeping in control of your digital footprint. You have to assume that everyone can see what you’re doing and saying.
You might think you’re not of much interest to people, but hackers hang out on networks like these so they can get access to vulnerable devices. And their access doesn’t necessarily end once you break the internet connection.
Housecleaning — Delete Old Apps and Accounts
Outdated or unused apps and accounts give hackers multiple ways to access your device and learn more about your digital footprint. It’s safer and tidier to delete unused apps and accounts. If it doesn’t exist, it can’t be stolen, hacked, or compromised.
Use Strong Passwords and/or Multi-Factor Authentication (MFA)
Password-protecting your logins with strong passwords deters hackers or opportunists from getting into your accounts and appropriating personal data. A strong password:
- Is at least eight characters long
- Has a mixture of uppercase and lowercase letters
- Contains at least one number
- Contains at least one symbol
Combined with MFA, which requires you to prove your identity in two or more ways, this will dramatically increase the protection of your online accounts and thus enhance your control of your digital footprint.
Don’t Log In with Facebook
When you log in with Facebook, you grant the app permission to check out your Facebook posts, contacts, and personal information. Since you’re in the business of limiting your digital footprint now, use another — admittedly slightly less convenient — way to log in.
Conclusion
The benefits of managing your digital footprint are not going to be felt immediately. You might never really feel that glow of having done all you can to protect yourself online.
However, know that those who do nothing to manage their digital footprints are more likely to feel the disadvantages and pain of spam, data breaches, malware distributed in their name, and applications rejected by universities, colleges, and employers.
In a world that’s increasingly connected, maintaining visibility and control of our online identities is vital.