The internet is a vast network of information where users can explore, share, and contribute content. By participating in online activities from simply accessing a website, posting or uploading content you’ll leave behind a digital footprint which then builds up into a digital profile.
Digital Footprint
Digital footprints are an identifiable mark that you have accessed something on the internet. Imagine your passport being stamped when visiting another country but done virtually. This is often to build one digital profile of you in relation to your viewing, visiting and buying habits to create an algorithm to show you items or webpages that in theory should interest you, but it can be also used to track your online activities. These are broken down into two types of footprints; Active or Passive.
Active Footprints are when a user has deliberatively shared information online about themselves, for example sharing a post on social media, uploading content (e.g. photos or videos) or creating an account for purchasing goods online.
Passive footprints are created to collect data without a user’s knowledge often when accessing a page or using a service. For example, ensuring that a user can access a content for their region, when purchasing products the correct estimated shipping is calculated or suggesting webpages that you might be interested in by collecting data from other places or platforms you’ve accessed.
Are footprints a good or bad thing?
The answer is they are both a good and bad thing, it just depends on what you are trying to achieve and how private you want to be.
Active footprints are generally a good thing as it enables a user to create a digital profile to share with other users. However, depending on what you post can lead a user to create a destructive profile or a really beneficial profile.
Passive footprints are more a grey area as a user will not know if they are being recorded or not. Passive footprints can be used by authority bodies such as the police to conduct digital forensics on a websites, business might use it to track your spending habits to promote new goods or services however cybercriminals might exploit your data to send harmful advertising or scams to your device.
Protecting your digital footprint
Since your data is valuable, it's crucial to control what you share. Steps like limiting cookies, using secure websites, and avoiding suspicious links can help protect your information. Importantly, while private browsing modes (like incognito) prevent local history storage, they do not hide your activity from internet service providers, government agencies, or websites you visit.
Digital Profiles
Digital profiles are the collection of footprints which are accessible in a public domain. For example, you might have a social media page like Instagram which is open for others to follow and interact with your profile. Think of a footprint as an action—such as liking a post or making a purchase—and the profile as the hub where all these actions accumulate.
You can have multiple profiles under different usernames however if you have something identifiable across accounts these fall into one profile and become linked.
For better online management, it’s wise to maintain at least two profiles:
- A professional profile for work or business networking.
- A personal profile for private interactions.
By doing this, you are creating a professional account to network and share ideas but then having a place to share your personal life outside of the professional capacity. However, this only works if the personal profile has the correct privacy settings to prevent unintended visibility.
Why should you do this?
Your digital profile is permanent, wide-reaching, and easily traceable. What you post today can impact your reputation in the future.
- Be mindful about what you post.
- Be aware where you post it.
- Control the information you leave behind
