Why is it important to protect your digital footprint

Maintaining a clean digital footprint is of utmost importance because it encompasses all traces of your online activities, serving as your unique online identity and reputation. Recruiters and anyone searching for you will view your digital footprint, making it crucial to ensure it remains clean.

You can assess the cleanliness of your current digital footprint by conducting searches on various search engines to see what information is accessible to the world. It is essential to create and maintain a clean digital footprint.

Once something is posted on the internet, it tends to remain permanently, including content that could potentially harm your reputation, such as shared photos or videos on social media, inappropriate comments on blogs or posts, and sensitive personal information like your address or credit card details.

Hackers are often attracted to individuals with more available information, increasing the risk of identity theft. While many claim to have nothing to hide, it is important to regularly monitor and control the trail of data you generate online.

To safeguard your digital footprint, you can take the following measures:

1. Search for yourself: Conducting online searches about yourself allows you to understand the information readily available. Use multiple search engines and explore several pages of search results.
2. Exercise caution on social media: Even with stricter privacy settings, be mindful of what you choose to reveal about yourself online. Exercise caution when participating in social media surveys, as they can disclose personal information.
3. Enhance privacy settings: Service providers for social media, e-commerce, email, search engines, web browsers, and online conferencing typically offer privacy settings for users to manage their accounts. Adjusting these settings can reduce your digital footprint and provide peace of mind.
4. Set up alerts: After searching, consider setting up alerts to receive notifications whenever your name appears online. To narrow down results, include keywords associated with you, such as your hometown.
5. Limit mobile app permissions: When granting permissions to mobile apps for accessing your photos, location, camera, contacts, and other information, be selective. Not all permissions may be necessary for the app to function properly.
6. Minimize online accounts: Having numerous online accounts expands your digital footprint. By deleting or deactivating accounts you no longer need, you can significantly reduce your footprint.

To further reduce your digital footprint, it is best to limit what you share online. Consider the following types of sharing:

1. Social sharing: Be cautious about the information you share on social media platforms. Avoid including personal details like your phone number, location, or email on your social profiles. Liking financial institutions, healthcare providers, or pharmacies can provide cybercriminals with insights into your identity, making you more susceptible to targeting.
2. Submissions: Carefully consider the online forms you fill out. Each time you share personal information with an organization, you expand your digital footprint and increase the risk of data misuse or breaches. Evaluate if there are alternative ways to access the desired information or services without submitting forms.
3. Social logins: While social logins may seem convenient, they are not always entirely secure. When using options like “Sign in with Google” or “Sign in with Facebook,” data from these sites can be transferred to the third-party platform. It is safer to log in directly to the main account or website you are visiting.

By being mindful of what you share and implementing these practices, you can effectively manage and reduce your digital footprint.