Watch your steps: How to manage your digital footprint

Ever wonder how your online activities shape your digital presence? Surprise! Much of your personal data is out there – all part of your digital footprint.

Every online interaction leaves a mark. From browsing websites to posting on social media, these activities contribute to what is known as a digital footprint. While many internet users are unaware of the extent of their online presence, businesses and individuals alike should understand the implications regarding the digital legacy they leave behind.

What is a digital footprint?

In simple terms, a digital footprint is the trail of data you leave behind on the internet, so everything from your social media posts, various accounts, addresses, website activity and more. What used to be just a few datapoints collected by basic cookies have now grown extensively to represent people’s habits and even life stories. As such, there are some benefits and quite a few negative attached to having an observable footprint.

As a benefit, businesses gain greater insight into customer behavior, allowing them to personalize marketing campaigns, recommend products based on past interactions, and enhance user experience with tailored content. For instance, that’s how streaming platforms suggest shows based on one’s viewing history, or how online shops recommend products based on past purchases.

For individuals, a well-managed digital footprint can help build a professional online identity, improving their career prospects as a result. Sites like LinkedIn enable users to craft a strong professional presence by showcasing their skills, experience, and endorsements, making them more attractive to potential employers. Additionally, individuals who actively monitor their online presence can prevent outdated or misleading information from affecting their reputation. A well-curated digital footprint can also be useful for freelancers and entrepreneurs looking to build trust with clients and partners.

However, these benefits are laden with various risks. Unregulated footprints can lead to intrusive data collection, loss of anonymity, identity theft, and cyberstalking. Hackers and cybercriminals may exploit personal data for phishing schemes, while businesses like data brokers or advertisers might track online activity for targeted advertising without explicit consent.

How is a digital footprint made?

There are several ways in which digital footprints are created. Some of them can be influenced while others are often tracked without your knowledge and cannot be really prevented:

Mind you, not all digital footprints are the same. Some are actively shared by users or businesses, while others are passively collected by third parties. 

Moreover, your digital footprint can be broken down into several components. Each one, especially when combined with others, can be exploited for various malicious purposes, such as for constructing fake identities.

A few concerns

Of course, such detailed data about you leads to justified privacy concerns. Unregulated data collection can result in various risks – like stalking, surveillance, or social engineering attacks such as phishing, which could lead to identity theft or business email compromise (BEC), among other things.

As well as this, your old posts, negative media, or controversial content can impact your future job prospects, business credibility, or relationships.

Besides, your digital footprint is not just shaped by your own actions – it is also influenced by others. Friends, family, and even strangers can contribute to your online presence by tagging you in posts, commenting on your content, or sharing photos and videos that include you. This is particularly relevant for parents who post pictures of their children, creating a digital history before the child even has control over their own online presence. 

Managing and protecting your digital footprint

To prevent these concerns from impacting your life, there are some ways you can manage your online presence, such as with:

• Regular audits

  • Use search engines to check what information of yours is publicly accessible.

  • Audit all applications – use specialized tools such as Application Audit included in ESET Mobile Security.

  
  

• Privacy settings

  • Adjust social media and account settings to limit data exposure.

• Mindful online behavior

  • Think before posting – ensure content aligns with your personal or professional brand.

• Use of security tools

  • Leverage VPNs, secure browsers, and encrypted communication tools to mask your online presence.

  • Consider using ESET HOME Security Ultimate, which includes Identity Protection, VPN, Data Protection, and other useful security features.

• Data minimization

  • Avoid oversharing personal details and limit unnecessary online registrations.

• Educate yourself

  • Stay informed about digital privacy trends and cyber threats.

• Use Anti-tracking app extensions 

  • For example, use the Browser Privacy & Security feature of ESET Home Security.

Legal frameworks and regulations

Aside from individual management. data protection laws are essential for safeguarding user privacy and regulating how organizations collect, store, and process personal information.

For example, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), implemented in the European Union, is one of the most comprehensive data privacy laws, requiring businesses to obtain explicit user consent before collecting data, provide clear information on how data is used, and offer more control mechanisms to individuals. Similarly, the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA) in the United States grants California residents the right to know what personal data is being collected, request deletion, and opt out of data sales. 

Data protection regulations like the GDPR and the CCPA empower individuals with specific rights over their personal data. These include the right to access, allowing users to request details on what personal information companies have collected about them, and the right to correction, which enables individuals to amend inaccurate or outdated data. Additionally, users have the right to deletion or the right to be forgotten, meaning they can request that their data be erased from company records unless retention is legally required. Under the GDPR, individuals can also object to data processing and request data portability, ensuring they can transfer their personal data between service providers. 

Other countries, including Canada, the United Kingdom, or Brazil have introduced their own data privacy laws, reflecting a global shift toward stricter protections. Companies must comply with these regulations to avoid legal consequences and hefty fines.

Expert tips and insights

„Pieces of user data—left online whether knowingly or unknowingly—have always attracted the attention of businesses and malicious actors. However, with both sides increasing use of AI models, the pressure on users' online identities and the risks they face will grow substantially in the coming years. For instance, current AI tools such as ChatGPT already possess more data about users than social media algorithms - which were already better at predicting and influencing human behavior than their closest family and friends. Using AI l in an unregulated environment can lead to extensive harvesting of user data, making privacy and anonymity scarce commodities.

In the short term, we anticipate this trend will first be evident in a surge of fake or duplicate social media accounts targeting celebrities and other public figures. These malicious profiles will use deepfake videos and other AI-generated content to appear trustworthy, ultimately exploiting trust for financial fraud and data harvesting. Similarly, attacks leveraging users’ online activities and digital footprints may soon introduce new threats, such as attackers training small, open-source GPT models on data stolen from hacked social media accounts. This could allow attackers to imitate communication styles and impersonate victims in various scams - such as family emergency or romance scams, making these fraudulent activities more convincing than ever before.”

-          Filip Mazán, Senior Manager of Advanced Threat Detection and AI Research at ESET

Future trends: Reigning in analytics

Currently, artificial intelligence and big data analytics are reshaping how digital footprints are created and analyzed. AI-driven algorithms can track, categorize, and predict user behavior more accurately than ever before. The increasing sophistication of these tools raises concerns about mass surveillance and unethical data usage, as organizations could attain insights without explicit user consent.

As a result, legislators and privacy advocates are pushing for stronger digital rights and ethical AI applications in response to growing concerns over data misuse, algorithmic bias, and lack of transparency. Governments are establishing stricter regulations (such as the EU AI Act), that require companies to adopt ethical AI practices and ensure consumer security.

Similarly, organizations are also under increasing pressure to develop privacy-enhancing technologies, such as federated learning or differential privacy, enabling enhanced data privacy, without sacrificing on analytics.

Leaving a footprint

A digital footprint can be both an asset and a liability, depending on how it's used. While it helps individuals and businesses build brands, increase visibility, and improve networking opportunities, it also poses privacy, security, and reputational risks. Staying informed, adopting proactive security measures, and regularly auditing one’s digital presence are essential steps toward leveraging the benefits of a digital footprint while minimizing potential dangers.

GET ESET HOME SECURITY ULTIMATE

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

Can you erase your digital footprint?

Completely erasing your digital footprint is difficult, but you can minimize it by deleting old accounts, adjusting privacy settings, and being mindful of what you share online.

Can anyone see my digital footprint?

Yes, depending on your privacy settings, your digital footprint can be visible to websites, companies, employers, and even malicious actors. Always review your privacy controls to limit exposure.

Is having a digital footprint good or bad?

It can be both. A well-managed digital footprint can boost your professional image and online presence, but an unmonitored one can lead to privacy risks or unwanted exposure.