Do Digital Footprints Pose a Threat To Our Safety?

It used to be a time when the internet symbolized a luxurious lifestyle for those who can afford it. More than ever now, the internet had become a right and a basic necessity for our everyday life. However, it is important to note that almost every internet service that we use, tracks our every move. The website that we access will only collect and store some useful information about us, but this information can be collected over time. This collected trail of information is known as digital footprints.

A digital footprint – sometimes called a digital shadow or an electronic footprint – refers to the trail of data the user leaves when using the internet. It is a unique data trace of a user’s activities, actions, communications, or transactions in digital media. This data trace can be left on the internet, computers, mobile devices, or other mediums. This includes private messages, emails, browser history, using social media on the computer or devices, contact status, online shopping activities, online banking transactions, using fitness trackers, and even the orientation of how we hold our mobile devices. A digital footprint can be used to track the user’s activities and devices.

The bigger question now is, does digital footprint pose a threat to our safety? Digital footprints are not always positive or negative. People often get into trouble when they don't realise how much information they're posting online or what can be done with that information after the information is shared on the internet. When this information falls into the hands of criminals, this information can lead to identity theft and be manipulated to make the scheme for fraud more convincing and believable. In other words, by revealing too much personal information onto the internet it can be used against you. A notable example is the Kim Kardashian’s Robbery case, where the police stated that her huge social media following led to her massive internet visibility which in turn made her an easy target for crime.

How can we ensure our safety while on the internet and how can we control our digital footprint from becoming a threat to our safety? Some tips suggested by Kaspersky to protect our data and manage our digital footprint are to use search engines to check your digital footprint, limit the amount of personal data shared to the internet, reduce the number of information sources that mention you, double-check your privacy settings, Avoid oversharing on social media, avoid unsafe websites, avoid disclosing private data on public Wi-Fi and keep software up to date. In conclusion, the extent to which our digital footprint poses a threat to our safety depends on the number of information that we shared on the internet, and our self-awareness of internet safety will determine whether our digital footprint will have a good or bad effect on our life.

Written by: Norashikin Othman