We have heard and even sensed from our own experience that everything, or almost everything, can be found on the Internet. This is a statement that is not as crazy as it seems. Thanks to technological advances and digital transformation, in the virtual space there is not only scientific information, books, audiovisual products, maps, electronic stores, among others, but also our own data, ranging from what identifies us to what we do on the internet. This is known as a digital fingerprint on the internet.
In this post, we tell you about what it is, what its types are, its importance and how to protect it to take care of our privacy, security and reputation online.
The digital footprint on the Internet is the trace that a person, institution or company leaves in the digital environment after interacting with the resources and sites that this space hosts. These signs or traces are unique data records that account for the activity on platforms, applications or services (eg emails).
These records are generated passively or actively, and are collected by pages and internet service providers to understand user behavior, a relevant aspect in the personalization of services and, of course, in the offer of products and services.
This type of digital “shadow” can also be used by hackers to commit cybercrimes such as identity theft. Hence the importance of browsing the Internet using only reliable and safe sites.
The digital footprint on the Internet can be classified into two main categories: active fingerprints and passive fingerprints.
An active fingerprint is understood to be the data trail that the user deliberately generates. What actions are taken to generate this type of footprint? This is any voluntary interaction on the internet, such as posting on social networks, blogs and forums, as well as sending emails and filling out online forms. Among the most common publications are photographs, videos and comments. Users have some control over their digital footprint and identity.
Passive fingerprints, as their name indicates, are generated automatically without the direct mediation of the user. When using electronic devices and interacting with pages or applications, data traces are created about browsing history, cookies, IP address, geolocation and data from the device with which online activities are carried out. In this case, the fingerprints are not under the complete control of the users.
The importance of the digital footprint on the Internet is explained in the points presented below.
Control over your digital footprint on the Internet is limited: data found online is difficult to delete. Although the user can exercise some control over what they leave and what they do not, in many cases, the information is copied, shared or stored on third-party servers without the consent of the affected party. Once something is published on the Internet, there is a very high risk of losing total control of said information.
The digital footprint on the Internet is also related to a person’s digital reputation. Companies, potential employers, and other entities often conduct online searches to gather information about a person . A negative fingerprint could severely affect a person’s perception. Therefore, it is important to take care of what is published or shared to achieve a positive digital footprint .
In terms of cybersecurity, the fingerprint can be used by hackers or criminals to steal the user’s identity or obtain sensitive data through phishing, spoofing or other methods. The objective is to deceive the victim and obtain banking information, identity information, among others. For this reason, it is recommended to take care of your online activity to safeguard personal information.
The digital footprint on the Internet can manifest itself in various ways depending on the online activities carried out by a user.
Digital banking, online banking or customer access also generates an important digital footprint on the internet. Any interaction with bank platforms or applications, as well as making purchases, payments, subscriptions, opening accounts (debit or credit), generate data. Although banks handle this information rigorously, hackers are known to perpetrate attacks to obtain customer data and thus leak it on the network (identification data, addresses, passwords, among others).
Yes, one way to increase your digital footprint on the internet is through online shopping. It should be mentioned that electronic businesses ( e-commerce ) have different ways of collecting user information, and not only through purchase histories, but also through news alerts, purchase coupons, account creation, and, Of course, actively use their mobile applications if they exist.
We have already mentioned social networks as one of the most important spaces regarding the generation of the digital footprint on the Internet. What happens inside them? Users share personal information in posts while engaging with other users through tags, for example.
Contrary to popular belief, deleting posts or interactions on social networks does not guarantee that they have been permanently deleted. What’s happening? The providers of these services could keep data and, in turn, other users could copy, capture or replicate said content. This explains the need to be careful when using these platforms. As mentioned above, it is recommended to take care of what is published and what is shared to take care of your digital reputation.
Subscriptions to newsletters, streaming services and other platforms are also part of the digital footprint on the internet. The data collected is used for various purposes, but the main one is to create personalized advertising and content recommendations. Sometimes user data may be sold to third parties. For this reason, it is important to know the subscription privacy policy, as well as limit the information shared as much as possible.
Since your online digital footprint can have significant privacy and security implications, it is crucial to take steps to protect it.
One of the first steps to protect personal data and the use of applications and platforms is the constant updating of software, whether mobile phones, tablets or computers. Operating system developers periodically release security patches to correct vulnerabilities.
Passwords must contain letters (lower and upper case), numbers, punctuation marks, special signs and be longer than 8 characters. Under no circumstances should personal data such as date of birth, ID number or other sensitive information be used. To take care of passwords, you can use digital managers that are characterized by being very secure.
Public connections are a significant risk as they can be easily intercepted by cybercriminals. It is recommended to avoid using Wi-Fi networks of this type to access banking applications, send messages, log in to social networks or other platforms where private credentials are required.
Did you know about the existence of Google Alerts? It is a tool that allows you to monitor your digital footprint on the Internet. Alerts are configured with names, terms or data that the user believes are relevant, with the aim of receiving alerts about what is published online. This allows immediate action to be taken if anything unusual is detected.
Data breaches are becoming more frequent, so it is essential to act immediately to minimize the impact. What to do then? The first thing is to modify the passwords, be aware of communications from the affected companies or institutions, and take other measures to protect the compromised information.
If you want to take strict care of your data, you can use a virtual private network (VPN). What is it for? In simple terms it encrypts the internet connection, making it difficult for third parties to track the user’s web activity.