What Is a Digital Footprint 4 Does My Information Stay Online Forever 6 How Do Websites Know Where I Am 8 How Do Websites Use Cookies 10 Does My Digital Shadow Follow Me 12 How Do Companies Use Digital Footprints 14 Will My Online Image Today Affect My Future 16 Can My Digital Footprint Put Me at Risk 18 Can I Delete My Digital Footprint 20 How Is My Digital Footprint Helpful 22 Can My Digital Footprint Be Positive 24 Will My Digital Footprint Change in the Future 26 Fact Sheet 28 Glossary 30 For More Information 31 Index 32 About the Author 32 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Every button you hit online adds to your digital footprint Every time you use the Internet you leave a little bit of your personal information behind This trail is called your digital footprint It is as if you are walking on a trail and leaving breadcrumbs behind Each breadcrumb represents a digital footprint Each breadcrumb is small But together they form an entire loaf of bread Likewise your individual digital footprints are linked They form an entire profile all about you Your digital footprint contains pieces of information It may include your name address phone number and birthday It also contains things you upload and actions you take You are always leaving digital footprints even if they are not visible As you use the Internet your activity is tracked and recorded These records add only a tiny bit of information to your entire digital footprint Your digital footprint grows larger in a very short amount of time Each newly loaded website Like on Facebook and e-mail draft are recorded and remembered forever WHAT IS A DIGITAL FOOTPRINT 1 4
Imagine shopping online for a new pair of jeans First you land on the store’s homepage By clicking on the jeans tab you are taken to a new webpage Clicking an image to view more details opens another page Each action you take is traced and recorded Those actions are part of your digital footprint The more you use the Internet the larger your digital footprint grows Your digital footprint is not a bad thing or a good thing But learning about your digital footprint can help you understand what happens to your information online It can help you see why it is important to be careful about what you share Knowing how your digital footprint works keeps you safer online THINK ABOUT IT How many websites do you think you visit in a day Now that you have thought about it is the number higher than you expected How might the number of sites you visit contribute to your digital footprint 3 1 billion Approximate number of global Internet users in March 2015 Your Internet activity is tracked and recorded As Internet use increases digital footprints grow larger Hundreds of pieces of data contribute to a person’s digital footprint Shopping online leaves digital breadcrumbs behind 5
