A digital footprint is the trail of data created by your activity online. Active footprints are things you choose to share, such as posts, comments and uploads. Passive footprints are collected without you doing anything deliberate, such as browsing records, IP addresses, cookies and location data.
Why it matters
Your footprint can be read by advertisers, employers, scammers and data brokers, and it can last long after you forget about it. Old accounts and public posts can be copied or archived. It also feeds personalization, so a smaller footprint usually means fewer targeted ads and less exposure if a service suffers a data breach. You cannot erase it fully, but you can shrink and manage it.
Example
Searching your own name might reveal an old forum account, a tagged photo and a data broker listing. You could delete the forum account, adjust privacy settings on the photo and submit a removal request to the broker, then set up an alert to notice new results.
Common mistakes
- Assuming that deleting a post removes every copy of it.
- Using the same username and email everywhere, which lets others connect your accounts.
- Never reviewing app permissions or old accounts you no longer use.
Related
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