Have you ever walked in the mud? What do you see when you
look back at where you just stepped? You guessed it right: your footprints.
They appear and stay because of your activity: walking in the mud.
In the same way, when you use the internet, you perform
activities: you visit websites, send emails, post pictures or videos, like or
share them, subscribe to a newsletter, shop online, leave a review to the
product etc. All the activities you do online leave a trail of information,
known as digital footprint or digital shadow or electronic footprint. Whatever
you do online can be linked back to you, as you leave information about you,
your device, your location, etc.
The footprints you leave online can be in two ways: Active
digital footprints, where you deliberately share information about you by
posting on social network or forum (picture, text, video), fill an online form
or accept website cookies on your browser.
However, some information about you or your device can be
collected without your consent. Sometimes, websites collect information about
your devices, how many times you visit the website and what parts of the
websites you actually click and for how long you stay on the website, your IP
address, etc. All these information is useful to people like advertisers who
can target you with ads that match the profile built from your footprints.
But why digital footprints matter?
Being present online can expose you to both harms and
benefits. Some information you share can stay for a very long time, which, in
the long run, can permanently stain you. Additionally, you might have little or
no control of how the information you publicly share can be used against you.
You have to keep in mind that your online reputation is as important as your
offline reputation.
On the other hand, leaving a trail of information about you
can result to opportunities that you could never have gotten if your
information wasn’t
available online. You can enrol in a course, buy a product, subscribe to a
newsletter, post about your project, business or product etc. All these leave a
trail of information that could be linked to you, expectedly, in a positive
way.
Knowing how vulnerable your digital footprints can make you,
it is important to take precautions on how much information you knowingly share
online: phone number, age, address etc. It is important to remove all the
information that you feel might compromise you online. In the same way, avoid
oversharing your information on social media.
“Think
of the internet as making a presentation in front of millions of people. Don’t share details that will haunt you
in decades,” says
Getrude Mligo, a Tanzanian Digital Rights Advocate.
In minimising your information online, remember to delete your
old accounts such as social media profiles you no longer use. Unsubscribe from
newsletter you no longer read, delete profiles you no longer use in websites.
This will keep you safe from potential misuse of your information that is in
their database.
“It is
important to check every now and then what you posted in the past,” says Asha Abinallah, CEO of the
Media Convergency from Tanzania.
While surfing, avoid unsafe websites: make sure to check for
secure URLs before proceeding to visit a website. Check for https:// in the
URL. The ’s’ stands for secure, meaning that the
website has a security certificate.
Above all, it is very important to always think before you
post or click a link. In many cases, we tend to leave a trail of information
about us online from the deliberate actions we perform everyday. Before you
post, think beyond the immediate context around you. Think of it in the context
of ten years to come: what will it speak of you? Remember, the internet never
forgets.
In the same way, think before clicking that link or filling
that form with your information. Think of who keeps that information and with
what purpose, think of how that information can be used, and think if it is
really necessary to leave that information online.
“If you
are a person of interest or target or concerned about privacy and anonymity,
keep your online presence hidden and always clean your digital footprints,” says James Laurent, a Tanzanian
Digital Security Consultant.
You have control of how much you expose yourself online. The
more proactive you are, the better, as it will help to avoid the necessary
consequences of your information being misused. Stay on top of your digital
footprints and stay safe online.
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