What Happens When You Make A Digital Footprint?

Everything we do online has the potential to remain online…indefinitely. This can affect your personal and business finances, and other areas of your life. 

What Is a Digital Footprint…and How Big is Yours?

Our digital footprint, also known as a digital shadow, is the cumulative traceable digital activity we create over time. Our digital footprint includes active and passive activity. Here's how-

We contribute to our digital footprint actively- Each time we go online and engage in digital activity, we add to our digital footprint. Examples of active contributions include:

• Sending emails
• Using social media
• Posting pictures
• Posting videos
• Having a blog
• Commenting on websites
• Completing online forms

These types of activities are something you can control. You can increase or decrease your footprint depending on how active you are online.

We contribute to our digital footprint passively- Many times, our online activity adds to our digital footprint without intention. This happens when our data is collected by:

• Our IP addresses
• Cookies
• Tracking data
• Geolocation

This digital information generates without intentionally putting content online. It happens when searching for information on a search engine, using GPS services and apps online.

Who Uses Our Digital Information?

Most digital information is used for advertising and marketing. Your info is used to analyze your habits for targeted advertising. This is supposed to enhance your experience but also help companies define you as a customer. While targeted ads may be welcome or a nuisance, they add to the downside of your growing digital footprint.

Spear Phishing- Spear phishing is a term used to describe targeted fraud. When too much information is available online, people use it to zero in and manipulate or con you. This can lead to loss of income, privacy, and more.

Hackers- Criminal activity is rampant online. The more information available, the easier it is for hackers to access your accounts, impersonate you, create fraud, or rob you. 

Employers- It is becoming more common for employers to screen potential employees' social media use and overall digital footprint. Since your footprint is cumulative, you may have regrettable content out there from long ago that could cost you employment.

Haters- Even if you take down content, it could be on someone else's timeline. And, you cannot manage screenshots of content when it is in someone else's hands. Once something is out there, it may be irretrievable. 

College admissions or affiliations- In the same way, employers screen applicants, so do colleges and other professional associations. This is particularly dangerous for younger generations who have likely had social media since they were much younger and potentially posted regrettable content.

Note: What you post is only half the equation. Thanks to facial recognition technology or the habits of friends, family, and other people, your name and imagery are in posts without your consent. This means you may have derogatory or harmful content about you online that others can access.

Protect Yourself Online

Do what you can to minimize your digital footprint and ensure what is on the web will not haunt you. Take these precautions to reduce your digital footprint-

• Use privacy settings wisely
• Separate personal and professional emails and online activity
• Avoid using primary emails for forms or casual activity
• Avoid polarizing or bullish social media behavior

Protect Your Digital Footprint

• Accounts - Limit your online accounts by deleting or deactivating any that you no longer need. Be discriminating about opening new accounts, too. Check out as a guest with retailers instead of creating accounts.

• Links - Some allow you to register with their business by using an account with another company, for example, signing in through Facebook or Google. Linking grants these other organizations access to even more information about your online activities.

• Passwords – You must have a special password for every account. Use a password manager These tools securely create, encrypt, and store unique, complex passwords. Enable multi-factor authentication, or two-factor authentication, for any accounts where it is an option.

• Permissions - Be wary of permitting mobile apps to your camera, contacts, photos, location, and other information. Your permission makes your data available to the app owner. Many apps will still work even if you do not allow all permissions.

• Privacy - Use tight privacy settings for e-commerce, email, online conferencing, social media, search engines, and web browsers. These providers give their users the ability to manage the privacy settings for their accounts.

• Searches - Search for yourself with multiple search engines. If you find sensitive data that you do not want others publicizing, or if you come across incorrect, misleading, or inappropriate information, contact the site administrator to request they remove the information.

You can control the majority of what goes out online. Remember that your digital footprint can lead to a variety of negatives (unwanted solicitations, decreased privacy, phishing attacks, and other scams against you including identity theft). Pay close attention to what activities you engage in and think before you act on social media and throughout the web.

Resource:

Direct links for managing privacy settings for many popular sites are on The National Cybersecurity Alliance website.