Tag: digital footprints

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Let’s say you’re on a beach, you’re taking a lovely stroll by yourself, watching the sun setting on the horizon as you walk by. The birds are flying high in the air, weaving up and down, some gliding to the ground and landing ahead of you.

You enjoy the smell of fresh ocean air with every step you take. As you’re walking taking in all that’s ahead, you notice some funny activity behind you like someone is following. You say to yourself, “Nah, this is a public beach, so it could be people just walking up to the water line.”

You turn around wide-eyed to find someone has been following you and not only has that person been pursuing you, but others have been trailing you as well. You see, while you’ve been taking this lovely soul-searching, deep thought-provoking stroll, those majestic footprints you have been leaving behind have turned into what are called “breadcrumbs” for anyone to track you.

If you didn’t know, the internet has always seen you with the ability to leave your mark in the digital sand. However, a perk to real sand is water washes your record in time. With digital, not so much.

Digital Horror Ahead

What is this madness that lets people track you like you’re in a horror movie? They’re called digital footprints, or digital shadows as some would call them. Digital footprints are traceable activities, actions, or pretty much anything you do on the internet.

This could range from visiting websites (any sites, not just the ones with scantily clothed individuals you’re thinking about, ya freak…again, I am judging you) sending personal or professional emails, or even searching for your favorite Christmas dinner recipe that Nana posted so many years back.

And trust me, Gen-Z is finding out all about these footprints. There are several types of digital footprint which are passive, active, personally identifiable, anonymous, user input, and sensor data. In a nutshell, they range from “oh I didn’t know I was going to be redirected” to, “hey, my phone auto-suggested something I like”.

Having access to a lot of things is great but also being followed unknowingly and it being legal kinda sucks. I mean, where is the consent…I know I glossed over the privacy policy, but it was too long, and I wanted to see what the “baddies” on Instagram were all about.

Every Step You Take

So…this is about to get uncomfortable. Who tracks you like the sweet slow jam from the 80s? Well, one of them is ironically named the Police and just so happens to be one group that would turn to use digital footprints.

Police or law enforcement would use footprints to track cybercriminals and possibly keep track of online behavior. Do you remember that “Here, have a seat” guy? Digital footprints aid in situations like that. Do you like cookies? You do, that’s great!

Advertisers and people seeking your business like them too, cookies are used to customize ads for targeting you. Like, in my situation, you purchase one electric bike and now all you see in the ad space of every site you go to are electric bikes. It’s very haunting.

But while there are some creepy effects, digital footprint does have its benefits, ranging from detecting and preventing fraud, making shopping a breeze because, well everything is tailored to your interests, and even just the simple act of being able to recall a previously visited site.

Despite the fact you may click “no” in your preferences or settings when visiting a site, they still track you anyway. It’s like going to a store and one of the employees on the floor ask, “Do you need help finding anything?” and you reply with a “No, thank you, just browsing.” Followed by an awkward moment of silence and a brief stare.

You turn to walk, and they start following you anyway. Like good god, I just said no, go away.

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Safe Space Results 404

Do you recall when I mentioned that Gen-Z is finding out about the horrors of digital footprints? No, then go back up and read this like a decent human being. If yes, then here goes the “oh no” moment, potential employers incorporate this in their decision to hire you.

This means every time you upload or like a twerk video, try to viral a cringe TikTok, post about how great America is compared to other countries on Facebook, or even tell your previous employer to go screw themselves on LinkedIn (sidenote; never air out your previous employer on social media), all of this runs the risk of you not landing that sought after position or promotion you’re seeking to claim.

However, there are ways to keep your footprint as small as possible, most of which are going to require you to do some work and by some, meaning a lot. This pretty much parallels fixing your credit score, your options are contacting data collectors, and telling them to forget your information (some of which may not play ball). Make your social media private.

If you wanted to take an easier route, you can sign up for third-party services that will handle things for you (keep in mind this is not a one-time buy, so as long as you’re on the internet and care about the effect of your online interactions, you’ll have to pay).

You can hide your browsing habits by using a good virtual private network or VPN, but like I always tell people, “Using a VPN is the same as using a condom, you can still get pregnant.”

Digital History Unclear

Now you’re probably paranoid about your browser history and everything you’ve ever said on the internet. Should you be though? This is the year 2022 and we are in the age of “acceptance” and “fairness”.

Honestly, what you said years back when you were young should not come back to haunt you. Social media should be a place where you can connect with like-minded people and share ideas.

However, it seems like the internet is the best place for someone to pick up dirt and fling it at you. The internet has always been the wild wild west but for employers to add a digital footprint to your background check is madness because one or a few posts don’t display the whole picture.

Just hope one day people learn how to differentiate the before and after when making a judgment call. 

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