Every click, every like, every Google search doesn’t disappear from the internet. In reality, it becomes a piece of information that is added to our profile, building our digital footprint. Understanding what it is, how it’s generated, and, most importantly, how to manage it, keeping in mind that the first step is to protect it.
Our digital footprint isn’t as harmless as we might think; it has direct consequences in various aspects of our lives, often without us even realizing it. Companies use our data to create detailed profiles and offer you ads that seem to read your mind, making browsing simpler and easier—we could say it’s all about algorithms. If you’d like to read more about this topic, here’s a link to the article about the algorithm, “The Algorithm Trick.” .
So, a digital footprint is the trail of data we leave behind when interacting in the digital environment. This footprint has two components: The Active Footprint: This is what we consciously leave, like a photo you upload to Instagram or a comment you leave on a post or live stream—information we share voluntarily. And then there’s the Passive Footprint: This is the invisible and more complex trail. It’s collected automatically without our full awareness, and we leave it when we use GPS, share our location, activate the microphone, and so on.
Your digital footprint is both an asset and a vulnerability. Information technology has given us the convenience of global connectivity, but it’s up to us to implement the correct security measures that this same technology provides. Be selective about what you share, regularly review your privacy settings, and always question what data you’re handing over in exchange for a completely free service.
