How to Reduce Your Online Footprint in Ten Simple Ways

How to Reduce Your Online Footprint in Ten Simple Ways: You leave a digital footprint anywhere you go online, which can be exploited to track you. But don’t fret: there are simple methods to cut down on the trail.

You divulge information about yourself every time you use the internet. This includes both voluntarily and inadvertently shared information. This is what is referred to as your digital footprint.

Some people desire to leave a digital trail. They might wish to develop a social media following or a personal brand, for example. However, many people perceive it as a disadvantage. The more information about you that is available online, the easier it is for others to conduct research, track you down, and commit cybercrime against you.

So, how does a digital footprint form, and how can you minimize it?

What Is a Digital Footprint, and What Does It Mean?

The data that makes up your digital footprint can be separated into two categories: active footprint and passive footprint.

The information you choose to share is your active footprint. It includes any information you add to personal accounts as well as your social media posts.

Your passive footprint is the information about you that your computer discloses, such as your IP address and cookies.

The primary objective of passive footprints is for marketing purposes. They aren’t necessarily a problem if you don’t mind targeted advertising.

However, anyone can be harmed by an active footprint. Careless social media posts can harm your reputation, and the easier you are to study, the easier phishing assaults against you will be.

How to Get Your Digital Footprint Removed

It’s not always possible to completely erase your online footprint. Companies want to follow consumers, and blocking them is typically designed to be a lengthy procedure.

There are, however, a few simple actions you can take to dramatically decrease the quantity of personal information you give.

1. Remove any accounts that are no longer needed.

Some websites will not remove personal information until you send an email to them. Other websites, such as forums and social media platforms, allow you to modify your information and/or remove your account entirely in a matter of seconds.

In approximately an hour, most people can significantly minimize their previous digital footprint.

2. Never give out your personal email address.

Before you can utilize most online services, you’ll need to provide an email address. However, they almost never tell you which email address you must use. If at all possible, avoid sending your primary email.

It’s incredibly simple to set up anonymous secondary email accounts. You can also use a throwaway email provider if you don’t plan on utilizing a service frequently.

You can use these sites to generate temporary email addresses without revealing any personal information. They’re made to be used once and then automatically destroyed.

3. Make up false data (if Legal)

Websites are now requesting more personal data than ever before. However, very few people have any method of confirming the data you offer. This means that you may use most services without giving any personal information.

If you are paying for something, this definitely does not apply. Payments won’t normally go through unless you provide your true name and address. However, if a service is provided for free, there is little reason to pay for it with your personal information.

4. Review Your Privacy Preferences

Many platforms will automatically reveal personal information if you submit it on social media. This is certainly the polar opposite of what you want if you’re concerned about your digital footprint.

Most platforms allow you to keep your information private and/or only share it with certain people. As a result, it’s a good idea to check through your social media profiles and only share what you’re comfortable with.

5. Don’t Use Facebook to Login

You can log in to many websites using your Google or Facebook account. This isn’t always in your best interests.

When you check in to a website using your Facebook account, such information is sent directly to the website owner or shared with third parties in different ways.

All of these buttons should be avoided if you value your privacy.

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6. Consider your options before posting.

Using a fictitious name on social media isn’t always viable. Another option is to be cautious about what you say.

If personal information is included in a post, it can be utilized in phishing efforts and frauds. Many firms increasingly look at social media activity when making hiring decisions.

7. Guard Against Data Dumping

A website can be hacked at any time. And this means that if you disclose your password with others, it’s possible that it will be published online (although the likelihood decreases if the service uses proper encryption). The same can be said for your payment information.

Make an effort to use a different password for each account you establish. Also, only disclose payment details when it is absolutely essential. Have I Been Pwned allows you to see if your personal information has already been made public.

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8. Use Windows incognito mode

Private windows are available in most popular browsers, allowing you to surf websites anonymously. This is vital since a website can follow you even if you don’t use your real name by looking at the cookies on your computer.

Existing cookies are hidden and no new cookies are created when you browse in an incognito window.

9. Make use of a privacy add-on

If you don’t want to use a private browsing window, you can install a browser plugin to prevent tracking.

All major browsers have privacy extensions, which provide a variety of options for reducing your online footprint. Some block trackers, while others block websites that are known for collecting excessive amounts of information about their visitors.

10. Use a virtual private network (VPN).

Your IP address is stored every time you visit a website. This can be used to figure out your approximate location and to identify you when you return.

Using a VPN is the simplest approach to mask your IP address. If you use public Wi-Fi, a VPN encrypts all of your web traffic, protecting you from packet sniffing attempts.

It Isn’t Difficult to Reduce Your Online Footprint

On every website, you don’t need to read about data privacy rules or use pseudonyms. Instead, simply learn how footprints are produced and restrict the amount of information you offer whenever possible.

As a result, it’s much more difficult for someone to utilize that information against you.