In the modern world, the amount of available user information is increasing. With the development of technology, social relations, and civilization, humanity increasingly prefers to store data in digital form.
However, a person does not always think about what can lead to posting a photo, for example, on social networks or even a walk down the street on a weekend. The more often a person leaves his traces in the online space, the more he is at risk of becoming a victim of intruders. In this regard, it is very important to understand what measures need to be taken to ensure the better safety of your digital fingerprint.
What Is It
A digital footprint is megabytes or even gigabytes of information transmitted to the World Wide Web by a person themselves. An example would be an email with an attachment or distribution of any content that we want to share on the Web. It is worth noting that the user is active, leaving fingerprints when posting information about themselves: this could be any publication on a social network or a message on a website.
The user should remember that when entering a website where they are registered under a name or profile, they will leave their active fingerprint by posting messages. It also remains when filling out any online forms, when accepting consent to cookies in the browser, and even when subscribing to newsletters. Browsers like Octo Browser already have built-in protection mechanisms. However, with other programs, you need to be careful.
A digital shadow is information that a person creates without knowing it, that is, without taking any active actions. In this regard, this phenomenon can be designated as a passive imprint, which is created when the user does not leave traces with their active actions. However, information about the user is collected without their knowledge.
Its frequent manifestation is the collection of information about how many times users visit websites. After this, it is established where these users are from, and their IP addresses are calculated. Users may not even guess about this process because, quite often, it is hidden. A peculiar example of a digital shadow is the analysis of advertisers of all manifestations of user activity on the Internet, from likes and reposts to comments. Advertisers use this technique for the purpose of subsequent profiling and displaying to users certain content that may be of interest to an individual.
Potential Danger
Any activity we do on the Internet can be used against us. Data left by people on social networks will be stored for at least three years and periodically updated. Changing your first and last name on a social network will not allow you to remain anonymous since, when registering, you provide your phone number, which can be used to find all other accounts on social networks linked to your phone in a matter of seconds. A virtual number will not provide much security either since the IP address (digital fingerprint) is also considered personal data, which can be used to obtain certain information. Live Scan fingerprinting is also used by a variety of organizations and individuals for background checks and identity verification.
Criminals, or more specifically, given the specifics of the crimes committed, cybercriminals are interested in information that the perpetrator obtains illegally to achieve various goals. For example, to gain access to savings, corporate secrets, or incriminating evidence of the victim. Attackers often blackmail the victim, having obtained the necessary data, or use social engineering techniques to achieve their own selfish or other goals.
How to Protect
In light of what has been said above, you should be careful about your fingerprints. Therefore, it is advisable to take into account certain recommendations for protecting your personal data, as well as for managing your reputation on the Internet. To do this, you need to:
- Use search engines to check your digital footprint.
- Reduce the number of sources of information that mention the user’s real name.
- Limit the amount of data provided on the Internet.
- Avoid disclosing unnecessary information on social networks.
- Create strong passwords and use a password manager (a strong password helps ensure security on the Internet. A strong password is long – consists of at least 12 characters, and ideally more, and contains a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, symbols, and numbers. The more complex your password, the more difficult it is to crack).
- Set up mobile device usage (set a password for your mobile device so that if you lose it, no one but you can access it. When installing applications, you must read the user agreement. Applications can collect personal data such as email, location, and online activity, before using them, make sure you are comfortable with what information it collects).
- Use a VPN (using a virtual private network (VPN) helps protect your digital footprint. A VPN masks your IP address, making it virtually impossible to track your online activities. This increases your privacy when browsing different sites and prevents websites from installing cookies that track your browsing history).
These actions are very effective and allow you to control what you leave on the Internet. Of course, you won’t be able to do without fingerprints completely. However, as long as your data is protected, there is nothing to worry about.
Conclusion
In the life of a modern person, it is very important to be concerned about the problem of information security. At the very least, to clearly understand that it is impossible to completely control the digital trace and digital shadow. It is necessary to remember that your data will definitely remain in the online space. Therefore, it is essential to know how to protect your privacy and how to reduce your shadow both on the Internet and in society as a whole.