A digital footprint (or digital shadow) refers to one's unique set of traceable digital contributions and communications that are displayed on the Internet. There are two main classifications of digital footprints: passive and active.
A passive digital footprint is created when data is collected without the owner knowing it. An active digital footprint is made when personal data is released deliberately by a user for the purpose of sharing information about oneself by means of websites (or social media).
Once you put something online, it never goes away. Everything you do online leaves a trail of information about you. The Internet is a universe of data that can be recorded and accessed with the right skills.
That information can both help and hinder you in dozens of ways. Social media profiles that accurately represent you can be a positive asset in your life. Here are just a few ways to lessen your digital footprint online today:
1. Check your Facebook
privacy settings: Events from your Facebook page can
become public very quickly. To maintain your
privacy, it’s important
to have your account set to friends only. You may think that your account
is already on lockdown, but the Facebook
privacy settings change often.
As the default, all Facebook posts are set to public.
Before delving into the past, make sure you privacy-proof your future. In the privacy settings of your
Facebook profile, you can edit who can see your posts. The choices are public, friends, only
me, or custom.
Don’t assume that privacy settings will protect you
anywhere, but on the social media site that uses them. Some Facebook users have reported finding
their “friends-locked” photographs as public images on Google Image Search.
2.
Create strong, memorable passwords: Any time you need a password, create one that uses a
combination of words, numbers, symbols, and upper- and lowercase letters. Make
it a password that is easy for you to remember, but would be hard for someone
else to guess.
Avoid the most
popular combinations, like birthdates, anniversaries, or the names of your
spouse, children, or pets. Set a password (or lock pattern) on your mobile
device so that it cannot be accessed by other people if you accidentally lose
(or forget it).
From time to time,
review the apps on your phone or tablet. What is their privacy or
information-sharing setting? If you don’t use an app anymore, delete it. To
help protect yourself, make sure that your antivirus software and your other
software programs are up to date (on your computer).
3.
Go
in disguise: When you window-shop on your favorite clothing store’s
website, cookies are stored on your device that contain the website and
information your browser sends to the web server. While cookies can’t take any
information off your device, it’s still traceable data. To prevent this
transfer of data, find your browser’s privacy function.
Google Chrome has in disguise mode, Firefox has private
browsing, and there’s InPrivate browsing for Internet Explorer. If you’re keen
about commenting on websites or forums, don’t use your real name as your
username. Come up with something that wouldn’t be associated with you (and use
an alternate email account) to make your posts harder to trace back to you.
4.
Search Yourself: Most of us don’t know
everything that’s published about us online. In addition to the content we
publish, friends and colleagues sometimes share about us, too. Are you sure
everything out there is appropriate? Using multiple search engines, search for your name and see what
comes up.
A picture can speak a thousand words, so make sure you search for text and pictures.
If you find something
that could damage your reputation, take steps to have it removed. This is an
easy fix if you know the person who’s responsible for posting it. Ask them to
take it down immediately.
If the content is on a site hosted by someone
you don’t know, contact
the site owner with a request to remove it. Deleted material
may still appear in search results for a short time, but will disappear as Google updates its search results. Make
sure you have nothing to hide by doing a self-search as part of your regular
reputation management.
5.
Think before you post: When you’re about to
post an angry status (or an emotional tweet), make sure you’ll be happy when
all your family and friends see your post, and formed an opinion of you based
on it.
Remember that LinkedIn tends to come up first in a
personal search engine query, so keep that profile strictly professional. Take
a minute to consider the content you’re posting before hitting send. Don’t publish offensive posts. Share interesting information that
paints you in an attractive light to other people.
6.
Think
before you search: Another way to protect yourself is to use a privacy-minded
search engine, such as Startpage, which claims to be the “world’s most private search
engine.” It doesn’t remember your IP address, track your searches, or place
cookies on your device.
Another way not to be tracked is to use an anonymous proxy,
which is a server that hides your internet provider address and encrypts your
web traffic. Most of the major web browsers have extensions or add-ons so you
can anonymously browse the web.
“If you are on social media, and you are not learning, not laughing,
not being inspired or not networking, then you are using it wrong… What you
post online speaks volumes about who you really are. Post with intention.
Repost with caution.” (Germany Kent)[i]
[i] This topic was suggested by my wife and daughter,
Bobbi and Allena Kinker
Sources used:
·
“6 Ways to Delete Yourself from the Internet” by Eric
Franklin
·
“Digital Footprint” from Wikipedia
·
“How to Clean up Your Digital Footprint and Your Online Identity” by Lauren Riley
·
“How to Clean up Your
Digital Footprint” (https://www.verizonwireless.com/archive/mobile-living/tech-smarts/how-to-clean-up-your-digital-footprint-cybercrime-security-cyberbullying)
·
“How to Clean up Your
Online Digital Footprint”
(https://us.norton.com/internetsecurity-privacy-clean-up-online-digital-footprint.html)
·
“What is your Digital
Footprint & Why It Matters”
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