DIGITAL FOOTPRINT AND EFFECTS ON PRIVACY.
If you’ve ever wondered if perhaps your private data isn’t safe on the internet, you’re not alone. Data privacy has become a key focus for cyber-security experts everywhere, with the protection of this data being one of the biggest challenges undertaken in the past decade.
In a world where privacy is no longer what it used to be, organizations are paying large amounts of money to ensure that the confidentiality of client data is upheld to the highest degree. However, on an individual level, the question that we really need to be looking into here is: are we to blame for exposing too much of ourselves and creating traceable digital footprints?
So what exactly is a Digital footprint? In a nutshell, it’s a trail of information about you based on your online activities and can be traced back to you, hence the term ‘footprint’.
With the explosion of the internet, social networking sites such as Google+, Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn and Instagram tend to be the main source of information, since they comprise of our key online identity. Picture all Instagram pictures, Facebook posts and online comments you’ve put up over the past year. All this information is right at the tips of the people who want and need it most.
Online activities are mostly habitual and are usually used by online marketing firms to target individuals for higher sales. If you’ve ever seen ads based on your recent-past search history, you’ll realize the extent to which your digital footprint can influence your decision to buy something. A past search of ‘best tablets to buy’ will henceforth bring forth a suggestion of tablets on any ad-linked website and you’ll be connected to a host of your local online shops selling the same. In Kenya, you’re likely to end up with a selection of ads from Jumia, Kilimall and Avechi.
Digital footprints can also be generated without user knowledge. These are known as passive digital footprints. This could happen, for instance, when a user’s location is determined based on their logical/IP address.
However, when an individual creates social networking profiles, they, in turn, create a digital footprint willingly. Most social networking sites have developed complex tools and means of gathering digital footprints which are then used to create connections between users and even products.
We live in a world of information overload, and each day we are generating more data than the last two millennia combined. Today, almost every single webpage you visit has a form of tracking software embedded in it, with the most prevalent ones being from advertising firms.
These ad firms are the biggest threat to an individual’s privacy, not only because they’re aware of your digital footprint but also because they store the very same footprint into their servers, thus making you more susceptible to cyber-security threats and even fraud.
With your digital footprint, a company can profile you very accurately and infer very personal information, which can then be used to manipulate your decision-making ability. Based on financial decisions, your digital footprint can even enable a company to know that you’ve RSVPd to a wedding and you’ll get flight and hotel informational ads on your browser!
PROS
Although digital footprints may sound as a negative privacy issue, there are numerous benefits. Our online experience is a lot more friendly, enjoyable and accurate due to the tracks we live behind. Without digital footprints, our online experience would be a lot less user-friendly than it currently is. Google, with its related products such as Adwords, Maps, Play, YouTube, Drive, Photos and Translate use digital footprints to provide individuals with relevant ads only and to enhance your browsing experience. Facebook also uses this feature to suggest friends based on one’s comments and likes.
CONS
A negative digital footprint is information we wouldn’t want anyone to know about ourselves; key of these being access to inappropriate websites, financial information, embarrassing photos and even comments we make on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
Negative digital footprints have been known to cost some individuals their jobs, and may even manage to destroy your job-search leaving you in the lurch, since most companies carry out background checks on potential candidates by checking online profiles. Well, you wouldn’t want your potential employer to see you goofing off with your mates, right?
In most cases, users tend to accept the terms and conditions on various websites without understanding the implications. Consequently, they give the websites the legal rights to use private information however they deem fit. Do you regularly scan through the terms and conditions on websites and software? Well, think about the effects of this.
HOW CAN WE PROTECT OURSELVES?
We can protect ourselves by:
§ Using the privacy settings on your browser — Ensure that you utilize browser privacy settings to your advantage.
§ Do not overshare personal information
§ Read the terms and conditions before checking on that small box we all know
§ Delete online accounts that you no longer use.
Always keep in mind that everything you share (whether a comment like picture or video) online goes to a permanent record. Your parent, teachers, employers, colleagues and even the police are privy to a lot of information about you. So the next time you post anything, be very, very sure you want it out in cyberspace!
