12 Tips For Students To Manage Their Digital Footprints
I just read this article contributed by Justin Boyle here. A digital footprint is a trail of data you create while using the Internet. It includes the websites you visit, emails you send, and information you submit to online services. A “passive digital footprint” is a data trail you unintentionally leave online. Revisiting digital footprints lead me to this article in the Guardian;
Worried about what’s out there about you? You’re not alone. But is it even possible to become a digital ghost? In humming, ice-cooled server farms, the monoliths of Silicon Valley gather fat troves of personal information. This much we have known for years – as early as 2010, an investigation found that Facebook apps were routinely collecting information for internet-tracking companies without our consent – even from private accounts. But the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal brought new clarity. Those who downloaded their personal data files found that Facebook and its associated apps had been tracking phone calls, reading messages and plundering phonebooks.
The solution for many is to close our accounts or post less online. That seems to be where we are headed right now. But even if you are restricting the way you share information online, it will be difficult to avoid it altogether. That is why this article offers good advice. You can read the whole article here. Now that the school year is coming to a close, this could be a very good way to summarize what students have done online this year.
- Be kind, helpful, and understanding
- Use privacy settings
- Keep a list of accounts
- Don’t overshare
- Use a password keeper
- Google yourself
- Monitor linking accounts
- Consider using an anonymous secondary email
- At least skim the terms and conditions
- Know that sending is like publishing–forever
- Understand that searches are social
- Use digital tools to manage your digital footprint