Thanks to the internet, a lot of information about us is out there in the vastness of the virtual world. Things like your home address, phone number or any other information you shared online are out there. This information is what is called digital footprint.
Now, once your information is out there, unfortunately, there is no way to eliminate it from the internet completely. However, you can reduce your digital footprints and make them harder to access. Here is how.
Digital deep clean
Before thinking of anything else, you want to deep clean your digital data. Thus, go back to delete old accounts, change privacy settings on old apps/sites and media accounts or delete them completely. You can also use Google’s password checkup to see if any of your accounts details have been posted online. Log into each site and delete the account if it has been dormant or change password.
Also unsubscribe from any newsletters to opt out of all kinds of messaging you feel you don’t need.
Consider privacy browsing
We have become so accustomed to browsing on mainstream sites that we tend to forget that there are more alternatives to help us cover our digital footprint better. Site such as Brave or DuckDuckGo are great because they are much more privacy focused and will not collect your data anyhow since they don’t rely heavily on ads.
While at it, always consider denying permission to certain apps which you feel aren’t necessary.
While at it, also consider VPN services.
Use a separate email address for purchases
If you are someone who constantly transacts online, then you might want to consider using disposable emails for transactions or if you want to sign up to things for a short period. Email services such as 10minutemail help you set up an email address which you can then discard.
Covering your digital footprints should not be taken as a guide on how to use this information for nefarious purposes. Instead, use it as a precaution to keep your information from being thrust out into the vast nothingness of the internet.
