My
Digital
Footprint
BY Zion Ogbuehi
Table of Contents
What is a digital footprint?
01
My personal digital footprint
02
Effects of your digital footprint
03
What is digital permanence?
04
Reducing your digital footprint
05
2
01
What is a digital
footprint?
3
•
A digital footprint is a trail of data created by
one’s presence on the internet.
•
Every time you visit a website, it leaves a
cookie in your system, which can be used to
keep an account of every movement you
make on the internet. Some websites keep a
record of the of devices you have used to
enter and browse their website. This is
essential when trying to secure your
account.
•
Any action on the internet leaves a trace of
data and could lead back to the you. The
information shared by a person online is
permanent and thus can be traced by
anyone.
4
02
My personal digital
footprint
5
•
I
completed
a
google
search
of
my
full
name
and
I
was
unable
to
find
any
information
related
to
me,
despite
scrolling
through
multiple
pages results.
•
Although
I
have
an
Instagram
profile,
it
is
protected
by
an
alias
and
it
is
private.
In
addition
I
have
very
few
publications,
none
of
which
reveal
any
personal
information.
•
Aside
from
Instagram,
I
do
not
use
any
other
social
networking
platforms
and
I
avoid
commenting
on pictures and videos.
•
In
conclusion,
my
identity
and
personal
information
on
the
internet
are
well
hidden.
This
is
due
to
the
many
precautions
I
take
when browsing the internet.
My digital footprint does not reveal much about me
6
03
How does your digital
footprint affect you?
7
It is important to maintain a positive digital footprint
Always be responsible on social media
•
A person’s social media activities can reveal
a lot about them.
•
When looking for a job position, first
impressions are of paramount importance.
A future employer may research you on
multiple social media platforms in order to
get an idea of what you are like. First
impressions are so significant that if the
employer finds out about any negative
behaviour on these platforms, you may be
denied your dream job.
The effects of my digital
footprint
•
Personally, I do not think
my digital footprint is
affecting me in any way.
Owing to my discrete and
cautious browsing of the
internet, my online
activities can hardly be
traced back to me.
•
My digital footprint being
virtually non-existent, it
affects me in neither a good
nor a bad way.
Your digital footprint should
not keep you from having fun
and being yourself online
•
Digital footprints will
always be present.
However, this does not
mean that one should
refrain from accessing the
internet or stop having fun
on Instagram and Snapchat.
The ever present digital
footprint should merely be
perceived as a reminder
that actions have
consequences and you
should be responsible when
browsing the internet.
8
04
What is digital
permanence?
9
Digital permanence is the idea that everything
posted to the internet will be there forever. Even
if you try to delete whatever has been posted, it
may never actually be erased. This is because
people could have downloaded your content and
posted it somewhere else or the website you
were browsing could have been hacked. Either
of which would result in your post appearing on
another website unbeknownst to you. Hence,
you should never post something that you are
not comfortable posting online because it could
end up staying there forever.
10
Digital Permanence
05
Three strategies to reduce
your digital footprint
11
1
.
Firstly,
you
should
make
a
habit
of
changing
your
passwords
frequently.
If
you
always
use
the
same
password
and
it
is
hacked,
the
hacker
will
have
access
to
all
of
your
accounts.
Therefore,
changing
your
password, will reduce the damage caused by a hack.
2
.
Secondly,
you
should
never
use
your
full
name
as
your
username
in
public
platforms
such
as
forums,
chat
rooms,
and
social
media.
Seeing
as
how
trails
of
data
are
left
behind,
it
is
a
bad
idea
to
associate
your
name
with
these
prints.
Doing
so
will
allow
people
access
to
sensitive
and
compromising
information
such
as
your
address, your name, your age, and more.
3.
Lastly,
use
Stealth,
Incognito
Mode,
or
even
TOR.
These
allow
you
to
browse
the
internet
without
data
being
permanently
stored
on
your
browser.
Anyone
can
access
these
modes
by
simply
selecting
“file”
and
then
choosing
“new private window”.
There
are
three
strategies
that
anyone
can
use
in
order
to attenuate to their digital footprint.
12
https://techterms.com/definition/digital_footprint
https://www.netsafe.org.nz/what-is-a-digital-footprint/
https://blog.nathanbransford.com/2013/12/the-terrifying-permanence-of-internet
https://sloanreview.mit.edu/article/digital-transparency-and-permanence/
https://digitalmediafootprint.weebly.com/negative-consequences.html
https://www.vivint.com/resources/article/pros-and-cons-of-your-digital-footprint
https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/magazine-features/top-ten-reduce-digital-footprint/
Citations
13
