Let me start off by saying I’m one of the few in my generation that doesn’t use social media, and to hear one of my professors say “We all have digital footprint!” I thought she was nuts and I was about to switch classes. Until…

My professor asked the class to do:

1. Log out of all of our social media
2. Look our names up

And, surprisingly, everyone had their own conclusions. Most common was that they found old pics from old social media accounts, but the rest of us found pictures we never knew existed. One girl saw some pictures of her at prom that she never posted, to begin with. I, personally, found an abundance of pics of myself from the age of 8 years old and up.

Have you ever been online shopping for whatever, then all of sudden the next advertisement you spot is that item? Thanks to digital footprints, advertisers buy yours and many others information (including your history) to advertise that specific or similar product(s)!

“How do I delete my digital footprint?”, you ask?

Well, according to clark.com, “You may never be able to completely erase your digital footprint since so much is already out there about pretty much everyone. However, there are ways for you to reduce the amount of info out there about you, and in some cases, remove yourself from certain databases.[…] Deactivate all of your social media accounts. Just go to your account settings and there will be an option to “deactivate” your account — either temporarily or permanently. A few examples: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, LinkedIn (unless you’re job searching), Deactivate/delete old email accounts, Search yourself online: There could be old accounts, profiles and other information out there that you forgot about, Delete search results: You can request for search engines to remove any information you find about yourself that you don’t want out there, For accounts you can’t delete, fill in the required fields will false information — nothing real about you, Unsubscribe from all email lists and text message alerts, This tool will show you everything you’re subscribed to so you can easily remove yourself from whatever you don’t want, Delete old emails that may contain any personal or sensitive info about you (like passwords or account numbers you forgot etc.),
Ask your phone company to make you “unlisted” so your info isn’t available online.”

“Okayyy, so how do I protect myself in the future from disgracing my digital footprint?”

• How to protect your money and identity when shopping online
• Tips to avoid text message and pop-up alert scams
• How liking a post or page on Facebook can get you scammed
• Top 10 scams coming after your money and how to avoid them
• Identity Theft Guide

(Thank me later)