Managing Your Digital Footprint

What is a Digital Footprint? 

1. Your unique  set of digital activities, actions and communications that leave a digital trace behind on the Internet, computer or other digital device and which can identify you or any other particular user or device.
2. The trail of data you create when using the Internet.

What is a Passive Digital Footprint?

A data trail you unintentionally leave online. For example, when you visit a website, the web server may log your IP address, which identifies your Internet service provider and your approximate location. While your IP address may change and does not include any personal information, it is still considered part of your digital footprint. A more personal aspect of your passive digital footprint is your search history, which is saved by some search engines while you are logged in.

What is an Active Digital Footprint?

Includes data that you intentionally submit online. Sending an email contributes to your active digital footprint, since you expect the data be seen and/or saved by another person. The more email you send, the more your digital footprint grows. Since most people save their email online, the messages you send can easily remain online for several years or more.

We all have a 'digital dossier'.  It started before we were born and will continue throughout our lives (by http://youthandmedia.org/)

* Google Yourself (or use Pipl): search your name to see what will come up.  This will show you what others will find when they 'Google' you.

* Monitor Information: set up a Google account then add Google Alerts so that you are notified each time something is added about you online

* THINK before you post: approach posting on social networks (Twitter, Glide, Vine, Facebook, Instagram and others) with care.  Remember what you post lives on forever.

* Shopping Online: use services like PayPal to reduce the sites that retain your personal information.