Does what you do online always stay online? You share online leaves a digital footprint or "trail." Depending on how they manage it, this trail can be big or small, and harmful or helpful.
Digital footprints are a trail of places that you have visited on the internet and the activities and games you have taken part in.
You leave a tiny digital marker or footprint behind each time you:
- Visit a website.
- Click on a link.
- Tap on a video.
- Play an online game.
How do you avoid leaving a digital trail?
- Share wisely on social media: Be aware of the things you are posting on your Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you ask about health problems, be careful who your posts are visible to. Check your friends and followers routinely and keep your privacy settings to the maximum.
- Search in anonymous mode: When you are browsing the Internet, I suggest you always browse using anonymous or incognito mode. This ensures that your searches are not logged in the browser history.
- Use encrypted messaging: If you are sharing sensitive information with your friends, be sure to share it through a secure messaging app. Applications like WhatsApp are encrypted from end to end - which means that these messages cannot be intercepted and decoded, even by governments.
- Send documents using links: Often, you may want to share documents or medical reports with someone, and once you send it as part of an email or chat, it could potentially be used against you. If you want to send a document to someone, first upload it to a secure cloud service like Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox. These services allow you to generate secure links to share with specific people. Once the other person has seen the file, you can disable the link.
- Use throwaway email addresses: Many websites need you to sign up with an email address to access the content. If you are on such a website, do not use your actual email for verification - use a disposable email address. Websites like TempMail allow you to generate email addresses and receive emails on it for a short period of time.
- Turn off location tracking: Google Maps often stores the places you have visited. Other apps (such as Snapchat and Instagram) can also use your background location. Be sure to take a look at the location permissions in your phone settings and disable it for all apps on a regular basis.
- Share wisely on social media: Be aware of the things you are posting on your Facebook, Instagram and Twitter. If you ask about health problems, be careful who your posts are visible to. Check your friends and followers routinely and keep your privacy settings to the maximum.
- Search in anonymous mode: When you are browsing the Internet, I suggest you always browse using anonymous or incognito mode. This ensures that your searches are not logged in the browser history.
- Use encrypted messaging: If you are sharing sensitive information with your friends, be sure to share it through a secure messaging app. Applications like WhatsApp are encrypted from end to end - which means that these messages cannot be intercepted and decoded, even by governments.
- Send documents using links: Often, you may want to share documents or medical reports with someone, and once you send it as part of an email or chat, it could potentially be used against you. If you want to send a document to someone, first upload it to a secure cloud service like Google Drive, OneDrive, or Dropbox. These services allow you to generate secure links to share with specific people. Once the other person has seen the file, you can disable the link.
- Use throwaway email addresses: Many websites need you to sign up with an email address to access the content. If you are on such a website, do not use your actual email for verification - use a disposable email address. Websites like TempMail allow you to generate email addresses and receive emails on it for a short period of time.
- Turn off location tracking: Google Maps often stores the places you have visited. Other apps (such as Snapchat and Instagram) can also use your background location. Be sure to take a look at the location permissions in your phone settings and disable it for all apps on a regular basis.
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