Imagine you are walking through snow, and eventually you get lost. You turn around, and what do you expect to see?
Footprints. They tell you where you came from and where you've been. They are a record of your time in the snow.
Now imagine you are browsing on the internet. Where are your footprints now?
They still do exist!
A digital footprint is a trail of data that encompasses your time on the internet. Your footprint stores the data of everything you use and is a profile of your internet persona; this includes websites, social medias, emails, and literally any online services. Every footprint is unique! Digital footprints can be categorized in two separate categories:
Passive: Tracks the user and stores files on the user
Active: Logged in data of the user
These are examples of everything that could be considered a part of data that makes up your footprint: CLICK IMAGE TO ENLARGE
Now this has caused plenty of privacy issues. Having a digital footprint can be dangerous for all due to the amount of privacy and secrecy that it entails. Having a good digital footprint is important because it is basically your identity/profile. If all your info is out there like the websites you use, the things you post, and other online activities; you must reaffirm that your time on the internet can not be tracked for any negative reasons and exploits.
As for me, my digital footprints consisted a lot of my social media posts, video game accounts, and a few websites that I have a username/account for. Imagine if someone met me in class, and they were able to go home, google me, and get all of this information! So much for having to introduce myself, plus more!
-Hayden Nguyen
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