What is a Digital Footprint? How To Protect Your Data in 5 Easy Steps

What is a Digital Footprint?

To define digital footprint, a digital footprint is a record of your online history and what you do online. This digital trail or online fingerprint is tracked through every click, post, and online transaction. Your digital footprint, invisible yet significant, tells a story about us – our interests, behaviors, and even our personal information.

Is Digital Footprint Real?

Yes, digital footprint is real. If you want to see where your information is exposed on the web, then check out Hogo. Hogo

How Does Digital Footprint Work?

We’ve grown up alongside the internet, embracing its conveniences and opportunities. Yet, many of us are unaware of the extent and impact of our digital footprints. As cyber threats continue to evolve and increase, understanding and managing our digital footprints has become more crucial than ever. Data privacy is no longer a luxury, but a necessity.

This article aims to teach you the following:

• What does digital footprint mean
• Free Digital Footprint Checker
• Share the consequences of a digital footprint
• How to erase your digital footprint

How to Protect Your Digital Footprint in 5 Steps

Step 1: Learn what does digital footprint mean, which is a record of your online activities. You can understand where your digital footprint is stored. Your digital footprint is stored on the following:

• Social Media Platforms, such as Facebook, Instagram, YouTube, and TikTok
• Search Engines like Google, Bing, Yahoo
• Emails
• Online purchases from marketplaces such as Amazon, eBay, Mercari, Craigslist, or Facebook Marketplace

Step 2: Be mindful of your online activities. Try not to expose too much personal information about yourself online. Remember, once something is shared online, it can be very challenging to completely erase your digital footprint. This applies to social media posts, comments, reviews, and even emails.

Step 3: Manage your privacy settings. Regularly review and update your privacy settings on your social media, email, mobile apps, and all other online platforms. Be mindful of the permissions you grant to apps and online services. Remember, in the digital world, personal data privacy isn’t a luxury, but a fundamental right.

Step 4: Use data privacy apps to protect and remove sensitive information from undesired websites or data brokers. Utilize dedicated online services like Hogo.com to help manage and protect your digital footprint. Hogo can scan websites to identify which data brokers is selling your information with a single swipe. Users receive alerts whenever an unknown website starts selling your personal information. Additionally, Hogo offers free $25K fraud insurance that covers expenses related to identity fraud, including legal fees and lost wages. The best part is you are rewarded for removing your personal information from data brokers or people search sites. Rewards include $10 Amazon gift cards, plushies, or the chance to unlock the rare helper, King Hogo.

Step 5: Regularly monitor your digital footprint. Scan websites that hold your sensitive data.

What Sensitive Information is at Risk?

• Social Security Number
• Home Address
• Phone Number
• Relative Names
• Personal or Business Email

Here’s what you can do:

• Googling your name
• Reviewing your social media posts
• Checking your credit report for any suspicious activity

Continuously monitoring can help avoid 150+ hours spent on recovering identity, significant financial losses, and the stress associated that follows.

Protecting your digital footprint is an ongoing process that requires awareness, vigilance, and proactive measures.

Active vs. Passive Digital Footprints

There are two types of digital footprints. Understanding the difference between these two is the first step towards effectively managing your own digital footprint management and presence.

Active digital footprints are the traces we intentionally leave behind on the internet. These include social media posts, emails, online articles or blogs we’ve written, and comments or reviews we’ve made on websites.

Essentially, any digital activity that involves our conscious decision to share information forms our active digital footprint. For social media sites credentials connecting instance, according to a Pew Research Center study, as of 2021, 72% of American adults use at least one social media site, contributing daily to their active digital footprint.

Passive digital footprints are data collected about us involuntarily. This can include our browsing history, location data, and even the metadata from our digital devices. For example, when you visit a website, cookies can track your activity and collect data about your behavior on the site.

This information is often used by businesses to personalize ads and improve user experience. A 2019 study by the Digital Information World found that the average internet user spends 6 hours and 42 minutes online each day, unknowingly leaving a significant passive digital footprint.

What is Active Digital Footprint?

Active digital footprints are the deliberate traces we leave behind in the digital world. They are created when we consciously share information online, and they form a significant part of our digital identity.

Here are some common examples of active digital footprints:

1. Social Media Activity: Every post, like, share, comment, or tweet we make on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, and others contributes to our active digital footprint. As of 2021, the average user spends 2 hours and 25 minutes per day using social media, according to a report by Datareportal.
2. Emails: The emails we send and receive, including the content and metadata (like time sent and received), form a part of our active digital footprint.
3. Online Purchases: When we buy something online, we leave a trail of information including what we bought, when we bought it, how much we spent, and where the item was shipped.
4. Online Forms and Applications: Any information we provide on online forms, such as job applications, subscription services, or surveys, contributes to our active digital footprint.
5. Content Creation: Blogs, articles, videos, podcasts, or any other content we create and share online add to our active digital footprint.
6. Online Reviews and Comments: When we leave a review for a product or service, or comment on a blog post or news article, we’re adding to our active digital footprint.
7. Online Chats and Forums: Participating in online chats and forums, such as Reddit threads or Discord servers, also contributes to our active digital footprint.

Keep in mind that the digital world has a long memory. Even if you delete a post or a comment, remnants of it may linger in various corners of the internet. As such, it’s vital to exercise caution with what you share online. Pause and reflect before you post, and consider the potential long-term consequences of your digital actions.

What is Passive Digital Footprint?

Passive digital footprints are the data that’s collected about us involuntarily and without our explicit consent. This data can reveal a lot about our online behavior and preferences.

Here are some common examples of passive digital footprints:

1. Web Browsing History: Every website visit, every link clicked on, and the amount of time spent on a particular webpage.
2. Cookies and Trackers: These small pieces of data are stored on our devices when we visit websites. They track our online behavior, such as the pages we visit, the items we add to our shopping cart, and even the ads we click on.
3. Device Metadata: Our devices provide information, including the type of device, operating system, IP address, and location data. This information is collected and adds to our digital footprint.
4. Digital Ads Interaction: When we click or view digital ads, trackers record our actions, adding to our passive digital footprint.
5. Search History: Search engines like Google, Bing, or Yahoo record the terms we search for, which become part of our passive digital footprint.
6. Location Data: Many apps and services track our location data, either continuously or when we use the app. This data can reveal patterns about our daily routines and behaviors.
7. App Usage: App information, such as the time we spend on them, the features we use, and the data we input, can also be tracked and form part of our passive digital footprint.

While our control over passive digital footprints may seem limited, it’s crucial to remember that we can still take proactive measures to manage them. These include habitual clearing of cookies from our devices, opting for browsers and search engines that prioritize privacy, and exercising caution when granting permissions to apps and services.

How Does Digital Footprint Work?

Digital footprints matter significantly because people should not overlook the importance of digital tracing data. They are like breadcrumbs that lead back to us, painting a detailed picture of our online behavior, preferences, and even our personal information.

Digital footprints can have a profound impact on our online reputation. In an era where employers, colleges, and even potential partners may look us up online, our digital footprints can influence the opportunities we receive and the impressions we make.

A study by CareerBuilder found that 70% of employers use social media platforms to screen candidates during the hiring process, underscoring the role of our digital footprints in shaping our professional image.

Our digital footprints can affect our privacy and security. Cybercriminals can use the information we leave online to commit identity theft, fraud, and other cybercrimes. According to data companies the Federal Trade Commission, in 2020, there were 1.4 million reports of identity theft in the United States, double the number from the previous year. This highlights the importance of managing and using personal accounts and protecting our digital footprints.

Our digital shadow can influence the content we see online. Companies use our online behavior to personalize ads and content, shaping our online experiences and potentially creating echo chambers.

Just about as much data we prioritize the care of our physical well-being, it’s equally vital to oversee and shield our digital presence.

Digital Footprint Statistics

In the vast expanse of the digital universe, every action we take leaves a distinct mark, contributing to what we call our digital footprint. These footprints, often unnoticed, are more than just traces of our online activity. They form a digital narrative, telling a story about who we are, what we do, and what we like. In this section, we will explore some less commonly discussed, yet equally significant examples of digital footprints, supported by relevant statistics.

Digital Footprint Examples

1. Online Purchases: Every time you make a purchase online, you leave a digital footprint. This includes the items you buy, the time of purchase, and your payment information. According to a survey by the Pew Research Center, 79% of Americans are online shoppers as of 2019, up from just 22% in 2000.
2. Email Communications: Every email you send or receive contributes to your digital footprint, which includes the content of the email and the email addresses involved.
3. Online Subscriptions: Subscriptions to newsletters, online magazines, or streaming services are part of your digital footprint. According to the Music Consumer Insight Report 2019, 89% of internet users use an online music streaming service.
4. Online Reviews: When you leave a review for a product or service online, this becomes part of your digital footprint. A survey by BrightLocal found that 82% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses in 2019.
5. Online Forms: Filling out online forms, such as when signing up for a new service or providing feedback, contributes to your digital footprint. According to a survey by Formstack, 84% of people have filled out at least one online form in the past year.
6. Cookies: A study by Ghostery found that 79% of all websites globally use cookies. Once a user accepts, he or she stores their information online.
7. Online Job Applications: Be very careful who you send your resume, cover letter, and any other information provided. According to a survey by CareerBuilder, 70% of employers use social media to screen candidates during the hiring process.

Every click, every social media post, and every online interaction we engage in leaves a mark. Informed users can avoid identity fraud and enhance their digital privacy.

Request Third-Party Websites to Remove Your Personal Information

In the quest to manage and protect your private data without breaches to your digital footprint, Hogo emerges as a powerful ally. Hogo is not just a service; it’s a comprehensive platform that has gamified the process of safeguarding your personal information, making it engaging and rewarding.

Hogo’s primary mission is to stop websites from selling your private information. It achieves this by scanning websites and data brokers to identify who is selling your info.

Hogo alerts you anytime a new site starts selling your information, keeping you constantly engaged in the protection of your own digital footprint. Hogo rewards you for avoiding scams, learning about privacy, sharing Hogo with friends, and even improving your credit. This reward system not only makes the process of managing your digital footprint more engaging but also encourages you to take proactive steps towards digital safety.

Hogo offers free individual fraud protection, which reimburses you as a result of identity fraud. Their premium plan even covers up to $1,000,000 for your whole household, demonstrating their commitment to comprehensive digital safety.

Hogo transforms the often daunting task of managing your digital footprint into an engaging and rewarding experience. It’s not just about protecting your information; it’s about taking control of your digital life in a fun and interactive way.

With Hogo, managing your digital presence or online safety becomes a rewarding experience as you protect your digital footprint.

Categorised in: Online Privacy

This post was written by Staff Writer