Digital Footprint or Digital Shadow means the trails or traces we leave behind when we are using the Internet or any digital devices. When we are browsing the Internet or using our mobile phones, we leave so much of traceable information about ourselves unknowingly. The information we provide when we register on a website, online chats and other communications, the images, audio or videos we upload and share online all leave some personal information which are publicly available.
The Digital Footprint can be either passive or active. Passive digital footprint is the data you leave unintentionally while you are on the Internet. The website we visit collect many information like the IP Address of your computer or your browsing history. The search engines like Google save your search history online if you are logged in.
Active digital footprint are the data we intentionally submit online. Publishing on a blog, tweeting on Twitter, messages, photos and videos we share on the social networking sites, the emails we sent and the queries and comments we leave on the websites are all our digital footprints.
Everyone of us leave our digital footprint if we are using Internet of which we may not be aware. It is not a thing to be concerned about if we are wise enough to leave a positive digital footprint.
IP Address
An Internet Protocol address (IP address) is a numerical label assigned to each device connected to a computer network that uses the Internet Protocol for communication (Wikipedia).
The IP address enables various devices to communicate each other on a network. The IP address provides an identity to the connected device. A website can identify and store your IP address which enables them to understand your approximate location. This information can be used for serving you with customised advertisements.
An IP address looks like this: 151.101.65.121. This is based on Internet Protocol version 4 (IPv4).
The current version of IP address is the Internet Protocol version 6 (IPv6).
There are different types of IP addresses like private IP addresses, public IP addresses, static IP addresses, and dynamic IP addresses. Private IP is the one that used on a private network. For example the IP address used for the computers in the school network so that the computers in the school located at various departments can communicate to each other. Public IP addresses are assigned by our Internet Service Provider (ISP) to enable the computers to communicate with the other devices outside our network (Internet).
You can find your private IP address by the following ways:
- By using the ipconfig command in a command prompt
- By checking the Loal Area Connection properties (available under Network and Sharing Center)
You can find out your public IP address just by visiting websites like https://whatismyipaddress.com/ (click on this link to see the IP details of this computer)
Domain Names
A domain name is used to name a website. For example the domain name of our school library website is kvklibrary.in. The domain names have two parts - a chosen name (kvklibrary) and a TLD (Top Level Domain), here in our case .in. The Internet Assigned Numbers Authority (IANA) for use in the Domain Name System of the Internet.
Domain names are used as it is easier to remember a domain name rather than the associated IP address.
A domain name is not the same as URL (Uniform Resource Locator). A URL is a reference to a web resource that specifies its location on a computer network and a mechanism for retrieving it. A domain name is only a part of a URL. A URL provides more information than just a domain name. It can include folder names, file names and the protocol (eg. http).
Example for a URL: http://kvklibrary.in/library/about.php (Here http is the protocol, kvklibrary.in is the domain name and library is a folder and about.php is a file name - web page)
Cookies
Cookies are the messages that a web server passes to our web browser when we visit a website. Cookies are most commonly used to track website activity. These are small files that are stored locally. Cookies help the websites to check the login status of a user, your previous visits to the website and information you have provided earlier like your interests. These enables the sites to provides personalised services to each visitor.
Accepting cookies is not a security threat to the computer. It is not possible to deliver a virus through a cookie. But the cookies can be used to track your online activities. These information can be used to target you with specific advertisements of your interest.
All the browsers provide you with facility to view and manage cookies.
How to Manage Digital Footprints
Check Privacy: Check the security and privacy settings on the social networking sites. See who has access to the information about you or the information you share online. Set them right to manage the content you share and who you share it with. Read the terms and conditions of usage and the privacy policy of the sites.
Think before you post: Think before you post anything online. Online communications are instant and it may not be possible to remove them forever.
Think before you post: Think before you post anything online. Online communications are instant and it may not be possible to remove them forever.
Delete unused accounts: If you have stopped using a social networking account, better deactivate or delete them. Do not go on creating accounts on whatever social networking site you find online. Only you use those which are beneficial to you and you can manage.
Make a positive digital footprint: Be creative online. Use it in a positive way. the most effective ways to ‘manage’ your footprints is to make sure that the prints you do leave are good ones. Be cautious when you are sharing links or messages
Protect your accounts: Always use secure and strong passwords. Do not share it with others (even to your close friend). Remember to logout from your accounts when you are using a public computer.
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