Digital Footprints– What are they and how to protect them from hackers?
The Internet is pervasive! Cyberspace and the augmented use of Social Networking sites have become the need of the hour for an individual or business. When you walk on the beach, you don’t have to fuss over your footprints as they vanish. The physical footprints are incidental and fade away with the flow of water and wind.
On the contrary, Digital Footprint altogether carries a different approach! Not only digital footprint reveals your identity, but at the same time, it can also be daunting to erase the same from the cyber world.
While browsing on the Internet, every click counts! Quick navigation between different websites and Social networks leaves behind your digital footprint, thereby creating new room for hackers to enter & exploit your confidential data!
This blog will outline what is Digital Footprint and the top ways to keep it safe from the prying eyes of cybercriminals!
What is Digital Footprint?
A Digital Footprint is leaving traces of sensitive data when you surf the internet. Any websites you visit, any emails that you open, or any confidential data you share is a part of your digital footprint.
Everyone follows some safety hazards to stay safe from unforeseen events that can take place in the physical world. Likewise, there are certain practices that you need to follow if you don’t want to fall prey to malicious hands in the online world!
There are 2 types of Digital Footprints such as:
- Active
The Active digital footprint is the sensitive data that you post by your own choice like social media posts, the comments you leave on Instagram & Facebook, and the posts you re-tweet on Twitter, and the pages you follow on Instagram. And, if you have signed up for any newsletters or subscribed for anything, that’s also an example of active digital shadow.
- Passive
The passive is what gets collected without any warning like the cookies you allow. All of this tracks your internet usage like how many times you have visited a particular website, and what is your IP address when you scrolled the website.
After reading about what is a digital footprint, there might be certain questions in your head such as:
Why should I care about my digital footprint?
Can I remove my digital trace from the Internet?
Well, here in this blog, you’ll get a detailed answer to all your queries!
Why should I care about my online traces?
Your online footprint is the same as your reputation! It can be used by employers, companies, and even cyber criminals to track and access every single move that you make on the Internet!
Here are some examples from your daily life that you might have never considered about them.
Can I remove my digital trace from the Internet?
The answer is completely “NO.” The actions you take in the online world cannot be rolled back! Even if you take a step back from the Internet services, your sensitive data still revolves around and remains on Government portals, medical portals, and other areas.
Hence, it’s always better to think a thousand times before taking any action!
How to protect your digital footprints from malicious hands?
It’s important to protect your identity before it falls victim to the ongoing threats in the digital landscape because employers, colleagues, and other people can look up your online identity.
Hence, it’s always a good idea to be careful about your online activities! Here, in this blog we have shared 10 best ways to protect your digital footprint from the prying eyes of hackers.
- Put a Limit to the data you share online
- Always visit the sites starting from Https
- Keep your Total Security Software up-to-date
- Delete the accounts that you no longer use
- Reduce the number of information sources that mention you
- Avoid using public Wi-Fi
- Build strong & hard-to-guess passwords
- Act fast before you suspect Malware or a Ransomware attack
- Consider using a VPN (Virtual Private Network)
- Change your browsing habits & don’t forget to erase your browsing history
To Conclude,
Don’t underestimate the power of digital footprint!
Like a permanent tattoo, it is here to stay, and you have to pay a higher price to get rid of this. But, if you follow the top ways to preserve your digital footprint, you can stay ahead of the rest!
You can start by revamping your browsing habits. Then, you can consider using Total Security Software as it blocks your access to risky websites and also provides robust security features to prevent online thefts.
And, if the worst happens, which means your digital data gets deleted, we help you get your digital data back with the best data recovery software.
Disclaimer:
The views expressed in the blog are of the blogger and do not necessarily represent or reflect the views written on the website.
