DIGITAL FOOTPRINT
What is a digital footprint? |
|
Wherever you go, you leave footprints. If you are walking on a beach or in the snow, these footprints can be easily seen or followed. On other surfaces you may not see them, but even if it is as small as a few grains of dirt, they still leave a mark. The same principle applies in an online environment. Every website you visit, every search engine you use records information about you – the equivalent of leaving a footprint in the sand, but one that does not wash off in the tide. The information stored may be as simple as the fact that you visited the page, but can include your location, Name, Address and Payment details. Your digital footprint is even further amplified with the addition of Social Media. Now your photos, videos, birthdays, ‘Status updates’ and even private messages are available to anyone, whether you realise it or not. This is in addition to search history, webcams and the millions of spyware viruses roaming the web. Everything is stored and kept, and you will never know who has it or where. This can affect you in many ways - both positively and negatively.