You most certainly are not thinking about it whether you are checking your phone, leafing through stories, or shopping for the newest item. But guess what? Whether or not you know of it, every one of those deeds leaves a trace. Welcome to your Digital Footprints heritage.
Actually, every time you search something or visit a website someone is tracking something. Look for the newest shoes; soon you will see those similar ones trailing throughout the internet. Look for travel destinations; before long, airline sales will overwhelm you. Though it seems mystical, at work it is merely data. Every search, click, decision you make logs, analyzes, and uses to build a profile of you.
Still, it transcends just purchase. Every website you go on, every program you use, every second you spend on your smartphone adds still another layer to your digital self. Even the things you overlook—such as the time of day you are most active or the length of time you linger over an advertisement—are helping to shape this digital picture.
And not only adults leave digital trails. Children are also under observation. Whether they are finishing homework or engaged in a game, their online behavior is being tracked. And since most kids are not precisely thinking about privacy, their data is quietly collected without their knowledge.
Sure, some observation is benign—even helpful. Advice rooted in past performance will save you time. Apps seeking permission to access items like your contacts, camera, or location for no apparent benefit should make you cautious, though.
How then might you defend your privacy? First, pay attention to the settings on your devices and apps. Turn off location services other than absolutely necessary. Never let random programs access your camera or microphone, unless you are especially using them for anything specific. Use browsers and search engines to respect your privacy; then, pick carefully the personal data you share.
You have to be careful, but you have not to avoid the internet. Your physical footprint is more than your digital one needs. Little more privacy will assist you to travel about the digital world by means of simple steps to control what you reveal.