{{short description|One's unique set of traceable digital activities}} {{about|a person's set of traceable digital activities|passively produced data during online activity|Data exhaust}} {{how-to|date=November 2021}} thumb|upright|A symbol like this is often used to convey a digital footprint.
'''Digital footprint''' or '''digital shadow''' refers to one's unique set of traceable digital activities, actions, contributions, and communications manifested on the Internet or digital devices.<ref>{{cite web|title=Dictionary.com: digital footprint|url=http://www.dictionary.com/browse/digital-footprint|access-date=13 April 2017}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=Digital Footprint Definition|url=https://techterms.com/definition/digital_footprint|website=techterms.com|access-date=13 April 2017|language=en}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=What is digital footprint? - Definition from WhatIs.com|url=http://whatis.techtarget.com/definition/digital-footprint|website=WhatIs.com|access-date=13 April 2017}}</ref> Digital footprints can be classified as either passive or active. Passive footprints consist of a user's web-browsing activity and information stored as cookies. Active footprints are intentionally created by users to share information on websites or social media.<ref name=":2">{{cite web|last=Madden, Fox, Smith & Vitak|first=Mary, Susannah, Aaron, Jessica|date=2007|title=Digital Footprints|url=http://www.pewinternet.org/2007/12/16/digital-footprints/|website=Pew Research Center}}</ref> While the term usually applies to a person, a digital footprint can also refer to a business, organization or corporation.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-07/01/digital-shadows-alastair-paterson|title=Monitoring digital footprints to prevent reputation damage and cyber attacks|last=COLLINS|first=KATIE|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130812132756/http://www.wired.co.uk/news/archive/2013-07/01/digital-shadows-alastair-paterson|archive-date=12 August 2013|access-date=8 August 2013}}</ref>
The use of a digital footprint has both positive and negative consequences. On one side, it is the subject of many privacy issues.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Owning Your Privacy by Managing Your Digital Footprint|url=https://staysafeonline.org/blog/owning-your-privacy-by-managing-your-digital-footprint/|access-date=2020-11-08|website=Stay Safe Online|date=23 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210302162735/https://staysafeonline.org/blog/owning-your-privacy-by-managing-your-digital-footprint/|archive-date=2021-03-02|url-status=dead}}</ref> For example, without an individual's authorization, strangers can piece together information about that individual by only using search engines. Social inequalities are exacerbated by the limited access afforded to marginalized communities.<ref name=":02">{{Cite journal |last1=Micheli |first1=Marina |last2=Lutz |first2=Christoph |last3=Büchi |first3=Moritz |date=2018-01-01 |title=Digital footprints: an emerging dimension of digital inequality |url=https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/jices-02-2018-0014/full/html |journal=Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society |volume=16 |issue=3 |pages=242–251 |doi=10.1108/JICES-02-2018-0014 |issn=1477-996X|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Corporations are also able to produce customized ads based on browsing history. On the other hand, others can reap the benefits by profiting off their digital footprint as social media influencers. Furthermore, employers use a candidate's digital footprint for online vetting.{{Citation needed|date=October 2023}} Between two equal candidates, a candidate with a positive digital footprint may have an advantage. As technology usage becomes more widespread, even children generate larger digital footprints with potential positive and negative consequences such as college admissions. Media and information literacy frameworks and educational efforts promote awareness of digital footprints as part of a citizen's digital privacy.<ref name=":8" /> Because digital footprints are difficult to avoid, scholars and policymakers increasingly emphasize the importance of understanding how online behavior can shape public perception and opportunities.
== Types of digital footprints == Passive digital footprints are a data trail that an individual involuntarily leaves online.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2022-01-12 |title=Digital footprint (ITSAP.00.133) |url=https://www.cyber.gc.ca/en/guidance/digital-footprint-itsap00133 |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=Canadian Centre for Cyber Security |language=en}}</ref><ref name=":5">{{Cite web |date=2023-08-07 |title=What is a digital footprint? |url=https://www.ibm.com/topics/digital-footprint |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=www.ibm.com |language=en-us}}</ref> They can be stored in various ways depending on the situation. A footprint may be stored in an online database as a "hit" within an online environment. The footprint may track the user's IP address, when it was created, where it came from, and the footprint later being analyzed. In an offline environment, administrators can access and view the machine's actions without seeing who performed them. Examples of passive digital footprints are apps that use geolocations, websites that download cookies onto one's appliance, or browser history. Although passive digital footprints are often unavoidable, researchers note that their scope and visibility may vary depending on platform policies, user behavior, and data retention practices.<ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Rossi |first1=Julien |last2=Bigot |first2=Jean-Édouard |date=2019-01-03 |title=Traces numériques et recherche scientifique au prisme du droit des données personnelles |journal=Les Enjeux de l'Information et de la Communication |volume=19/2 |issue=2 |pages=161–177 |doi=10.3917/enic.025.0161 |issn=1778-4239 |doi-access=free}}</ref>
Active digital footprints are deliberate, as they are posted or shared information willingly. They can also be stored in a variety of ways depending on the situation. A digital footprint can be stored when a user logs into a site and makes a post or change; the registered name is connected to the edit in an online environment. Examples of active digital footprints include social media posts, video or image uploads, or changes to various websites.<ref name=":5" />
== Privacy issues == Digital footprints are not a digital identity or passport, but the content and metadata collected impacts internet privacy, trust, security, digital reputation, and recommendation. As the digital world expands and integrates with more aspects of life, ownership and rights concerning data become increasingly important. Digital footprints are controversial in that privacy and openness compete.<ref>{{cite news | url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/4339771/Threat-to-privacy-under-data-law-campaigners-warn.html | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090204004049/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/4339771/Threat-to-privacy-under-data-law-campaigners-warn.html | archive-date=4 February 2009 | title=Threat to privacy under data law, campaigners warn | work=Telegraph | date=26 January 2009 | access-date=22 March 2014 | location=London | first=Duncan | last=Gardham}}</ref> Scott McNealy, CEO of Sun Microsystems, said “Get over it” in 1999 when referring to privacy on the Internet.<ref>{{cite news |author=Sprenger, Polly |date=26 January 1999 |title=Sun on Privacy: 'Get Over It' |url=http://archive.wired.com/politics/law/news/1999/01/17538 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140710020917/http://archive.wired.com/politics/law/news/1999/01/17538 |archive-date=2014-07-10 |access-date=22 March 2014 |magazine=Wired}}</ref> The quote later became a commonly used phrase in discussing private data and what companies do with it.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2016-01-10|title=Digital Footprint: Part 2 {{!}} Hueya: Securing Your Digital World|url=https://www.hueya.io/digital-footprint-part-2/|access-date=2020-10-10|website=Hueya - Online Privacy Software|language=en-US|archive-date=2020-10-10|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201010221956/https://www.hueya.io/digital-footprint-part-2/}}</ref> Digital footprints are a privacy concern because they are a set of traceable actions, contributions, and ideas shared by users. It can be tracked and can allow internet users to learn about human actions.<ref>{{Cite web|last=2015nets_adminusr|date=2019-07-22|title=What is a digital footprint?|url=https://www.netsafe.org.nz/digital-footprint/|access-date=2020-10-10|website=Netsafe – Providing free online safety advice in New Zealand|language=en-NZ}}</ref>
Interested parties use Internet footprints for several reasons; including ''cyber-vetting'',<ref>{{cite web|url=http://blogs.wayne.edu/informationpolicy/2012/12/07/cybervetting-the-hiring-process-in-the-digital-age-2/|title=Cybervetting: The Hiring Process in the Digital Age|last=Dalgord|first=Chelsea|date=2012-12-07|access-date=2013-08-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131202223140/http://blogs.wayne.edu/informationpolicy/2012/12/07/cybervetting-the-hiring-process-in-the-digital-age-2/|archive-date=2013-12-02}}</ref> where interviewers could research applicants based on their online activities. Internet footprints are also used by law enforcement agencies to provide information unavailable otherwise due to a lack of probable cause.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Diab |first1=Robert |title=Protecting the Right to Privacy in Digital Devices: Reasonable Search on Arrest and at the Border |journal=University of New Brunswick Law Journal |date=1 March 2018 |volume=69 |pages=96–125 |ssrn=3393119 }}</ref> Also, digital footprints are used by marketers to find what products a user is interested in or to inspire ones' interest in a particular product based on similar interests.<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.ama.org/publications/MarketingInsights/Pages/digital-footprints-abound.aspx|title=Digital Footprints Abound |last=Wyner |first=Gordon |website=American Marketing Association |access-date=3 October 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161005083057/https://www.ama.org/publications/MarketingInsights/Pages/digital-footprints-abound.aspx |archive-date=5 October 2016 }}</ref>
''Social networking systems'' may record the activities of individuals, with data becoming a ''life stream''. Such social media usage and roaming services allow digital tracing data to include individual interests, social groups, behaviors, and location. Such data is gathered from sensors within devices and collected and analyzed without user awareness.<ref>{{Cite web|title=What a digital footprint? - Knowledgebase - ICTEA|url=https://www.ictea.com/cs/knowledgebase.php?action=displayarticle&id=2235&language=english|access-date=2020-10-10|website=www.ictea.com}}</ref> When many users choose to share personal information about themselves through social media platforms, including places they visited, timelines and their connections, they are unaware of the privacy setting choices and the security consequences associated with them.<ref name=":0">Ball, Albert; Ranim, Michelle; Levy, Yair (January 1, 2015). [http://www.iiakm.org/ojakm/articles/2015/volume3_1/OJAKM_Volume3_1pp180-207.pdf Examining users' personal information sharing awareness, habits, and practices in social networking sites and e-learning systems.] Online Journal of Applied Knowledge Management. pp185</ref> Many social media sites, like Facebook, collect an extensive amount of information that can be used to piece together a user's personality. Information gathered from social media, such as the number of friends a user has, can predict whether or not the user has an introvert or extrovert personality. Moreover, a survey of SNS users revealed that 87% identified their work or education level, 84% identified their full date of birth, 78% identified their location, and 23% listed their phone numbers.<ref name=":0" />
While one's digital footprint may infer personal information, such as demographic traits, sexual orientation, race, religious and political views, personality, or intelligence<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Kosinski |first1=M. |last2=Stillwell |first2=D. |last3=Graepel |first3=T. |title=Private traits and attributes are predictable from digital records of human behavior |journal=Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences |date=11 March 2013 |volume=110 |issue=15 |pages=5802–5805 |doi=10.1073/pnas.1218772110 |pmid=23479631 |pmc=3625324 |bibcode=2013PNAS..110.5802K |doi-access=free }}</ref> without individuals' knowledge, it also exposes individuals' private psychological spheres into the social sphere.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Latour |first=Bruno |title=Beware, your imagination leaves digital traces |journal=Column for Times Higher Education Supplement |volume=6 |issue=4 |year=2007 |pages=129–131 |url=http://www.bruno-latour.fr/sites/default/files/P-129-THES-GB.pdf }}</ref> ''Lifelogging'' is an example of an indiscriminate collection of information concerning an individual's life and behavior.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=O'Hara |first1=Kieron |last2=Tuffield |first2=Mischa M. |last3=Shadbolt |first3=Nigel |title=Lifelogging: Privacy and empowerment with memories for life |journal=Identity in the Information Society |date=20 February 2009 |volume=1 |issue=1 |pages=155–172 |doi=10.1007/s12394-009-0008-4 |doi-access=free }}</ref> There are actions to take to make a digital footprint challenging to track.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Singer |first=Natasha |date=2013-06-20 |title=Ways to Make Your Online Tracks Harder to Follow |url=https://archive.nytimes.com/bits.blogs.nytimes.com/2013/06/19/ways-to-make-your-online-tracks-harder-to-follow-2/ |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=Bits Blog |language=en}}</ref> An example of the usage or interpretation of data trails is through Facebook-influenced creditworthiness ratings,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Lobosco |first=Katie |date=2013-08-26 |title=Facebook friends could change your credit score |url=https://money.cnn.com/2013/08/26/technology/social/facebook-credit-score/index.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130826104333/http://money.cnn.com/2013/08/26/technology/social/facebook-credit-score/index.html |url-status=dead |archive-date=August 26, 2013 |access-date=2024-05-16 |website=CNNMoney}}</ref> the judicial investigations around German sociologist Andrej Holm,<ref>{{cite news |last1=Sennett |first1=Richard |last2=Sassen |first2=Saskia |title=Richard Sennett and Saskia Sassen: Guantanamo in Germany |url=https://www.theguardian.com/education/2007/aug/21/highereducation.uk1 |work=The Guardian |date=21 August 2007 }}</ref> advertisement-junk mails by the American company OfficeMax<ref>{{cite news |title=OfficeMax Apologizes After Sending Grieving Father Terrible Letter |url=http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2014/01/20/mike-seay-officemax-lette_n_4632822.html |work=HuffPost |date=20 January 2014 }}</ref> or the border incident of Canadian citizen Ellen Richardson.<ref>{{cite news|title=Border refusal for depressed paraplegic shows Canada-U.S. security co-operation has gone too far|url=https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2013/11/29/border_refusal_for_depressed_paraplegic_shows_canadaus_security_cooperation_has_gone_too_far_walkom.html|access-date=December 20, 2013|newspaper= The Star|location=Toronto|date=29 November 2013}}</ref>
==Impacts== === Workforce === An increasing number of employers are evaluating applicants by their digital footprint through their interaction on social media due to its reduced cost and easy accessibility<ref>Broughton, A., Foley, B., Ledermaier, S., & Cox, A. (2013). The use of social media in the recruitment process. ''Institute for Employment Studies, Brighton''.</ref> during the hiring process. By using such resources, employers can gain more insight on candidates beyond their well-scripted interview responses and perfected resumes.<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Berkelaar|first=Brenda L.|date=2014-07-18|title=Cybervetting, Online Information, and Personnel Selection: New Transparency Expectations and the Emergence of a Digital Social Contract|url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0893318914541966|journal=Management Communication Quarterly|language=en|volume=28|issue=4|pages=479–506|doi=10.1177/0893318914541966|s2cid=146264434|issn=0893-3189|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Candidates who display poor communication skills, use inappropriate language, or use drugs or alcohol are rated lower.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Van Iddekinge|first1=Chad H.|last2=Lanivich|first2=Stephen E.|last3=Roth|first3=Philip L.|last4=Junco|first4=Elliott|date=2016-12-16|title=Social Media for Selection? Validity and Adverse Impact Potential of a Facebook-Based Assessment|url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0149206313515524|journal=Journal of Management|language=en|volume=42|issue=7|pages=1811–1835|doi=10.1177/0149206313515524|s2cid=143067929|issn=0149-2063|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Conversely, a candidate with a professional or family-oriented social media presence receives higher ratings.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Bohnert|first1=Daniel|last2=Ross|first2=William H.|date=2010-06-17|title=The Influence of Social Networking Web Sites on the Evaluation of Job Candidates|url=http://www.liebertpub.com/doi/10.1089/cyber.2009.0193|journal=Cyberpsychology, Behavior, and Social Networking|language=en|volume=13|issue=3|pages=341–347|doi=10.1089/cyber.2009.0193|pmid=20557256|issn=2152-2715|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Employers also assess a candidate through their digital footprint to determine if a candidate is a good cultural fit<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Lambiotte|first1=Renaud|last2=Kosinski|first2=Michal|date=December 2014|title=Tracking the Digital Footprints of Personality|journal=Proceedings of the IEEE|volume=102|issue=12|pages=1934–1939|doi=10.1109/JPROC.2014.2359054|s2cid=11085292|issn=0018-9219}}</ref> for their organization.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2016-01-07 |title=SHRM Survey Findings: Using Social Media for Talent Acquisition - Recruitment and Screening |url=https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and-surveys/Documents/SHRM-Social-Media-Recruiting-Screening-2015.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170430125717/https://www.shrm.org/hr-today/trends-and-forecasting/research-and-surveys/Documents/SHRM-Social-Media-Recruiting-Screening-2015.pdf |archive-date=2017-04-30 |website=Society for Human Resource Management.}}</ref> Suppose a candidate upholds an organization's values or shows existing passion for its mission. In that case, the candidate is more likely to integrate within the organization and could accomplish more than the average person. Although these assessments are known not to be accurate predictors of performance or turnover rates,<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Van Iddekinge|first1=Chad H.|last2=Lanivich|first2=Stephen E.|last3=Roth|first3=Philip L.|last4=Junco|first4=Elliott|date=2016-11-16|title=Social Media for Selection? Validity and Adverse Impact Potential of a Facebook-Based Assessment|url=http://journals.sagepub.com/doi/10.1177/0149206313515524|journal=Journal of Management|language=en|volume=42|issue=7|pages=1811–1835|doi=10.1177/0149206313515524|s2cid=143067929|issn=0149-2063|url-access=subscription}}</ref> employers still use digital footprints to evaluate their applicants. Studies suggest that applicants’ online presence can influence hiring perceptions, although its reliability as a predictor of job performance remains contested.
In some professions, maintaining a digital footprint is essential. People will search the internet for specific doctors and their reviews. Half of the search results for a particular physician link to third-party rating websites.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Kim|first1=Christopher|last2=Gupta|first2=Raghav|last3=Shah|first3=Aakash|last4=Madill|first4=Evan|last5=Prabhu|first5=Arpan V.|last6=Agarwal|first6=Nitin|date=May 2018|title=Digital Footprint of Neurological Surgeons|journal=World Neurosurgery|volume=113|pages=e172–e178|doi=10.1016/j.wneu.2018.01.210|pmid=29427816}}</ref> For this reason, prospective patients may unknowingly choose their physicians based on their digital footprint in addition to online reviews. Furthermore, a generation relies on social media for livelihood as influencers by using their digital footprint. These influencers have dedicated fan bases that may be eager to follow recommendations. As a result, marketers pay influencers to promote their products among their followers, since this medium may yield better returns than traditional advertising.<ref>{{Citation|last=Gretzel|first=Ulrike|title=Influencer marketing in travel and tourism|date=2017-07-20|work=Advances in Social Media for Travel, Tourism and Hospitality|pages=147–156|publisher=Routledge|doi=10.4324/9781315565736-13|isbn=978-1-315-56573-6}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Twenge|first1=Jean M.|last2=Martin|first2=Gabrielle N.|last3=Spitzberg|first3=Brian H.|date=2019-10-01|title=Trends in U.S. Adolescents' media use, 1976–2016: The rise of digital media, the decline of TV, and the (near) demise of print.|url=http://doi.apa.org/getdoi.cfm?doi=10.1037/ppm0000203|journal=Psychology of Popular Media Culture|language=en|volume=8|issue=4|pages=329–345|doi=10.1037/ppm0000203|s2cid=158283705|issn=2160-4142|url-access=subscription}}</ref> Consequently, one's career may be reliant on their digital footprint.
=== Children === Generation Alpha will not be the first generation born into the internet world. As such, a child's digital footprint is becoming more significant than ever before and their consequences may be unclear. As a result of parenting enthusiasm, an increasing amount of parents will create social media accounts for their children at a young age, sometimes even before they are born.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2010-10-06 |title=Digital Birth: Welcome to the Online World |url=https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20101006006722/en/Digital-Birth-Welcome-to-the-Online-World |access-date=2020-11-03 |website=www.businesswire.com |language=en}}{{Dead url|date=May 2024}}</ref> Parents may post up to 13,000 photos of a child on social media in their celebratory state before their teen years of everyday life or birthday celebrations.<ref name=":1">{{Cite web|date=2018-11-08|title=Children's Commissioner's report calls on internet giants and toy manufacturers to be transparent about collection of children's data|url=https://www.childrenscommissioner.gov.uk/2018/11/08/childrens-commissioners-report-calls-on-internet-giants-and-toy-manufacturers-to-be-transparent-about-collection-of-childrens-data/|access-date=2020-11-03|website=Children's Commissioner for England|language=en-GB}}</ref> Furthermore, these children are predicted to post 70,000 times online on their own by 18.<ref name=":1" /> The advent of posting on social media creates many opportunities to gather data from minors. Since an identity's basic components contain a name, birth date, and address, these children are susceptible to identity theft.<ref>{{Cite web|title=Internet safety for children {{!}} Keeping kids safe online {{!}} Barclays|url=https://www.barclays.co.uk/moments/helping-younger-generations/Internet-safety-for-children/|access-date=2020-11-03|website=www.barclays.co.uk|language=en}}</ref> While parents may assume that privacy settings may prevent children's photos and data from being exposed, they also have to trust that their followers will not be compromised. Outsiders may take the images to pose as these children's parents or post the content publicly.<ref>Steinberg, S. B. (2016). Sharenting: Children's privacy in the age of social media. ''Emory LJ'', ''66'', 839.</ref> For example, during the Facebook-Cambridge Analytica data scandal, friends of friends leaked data to data miners. Due to the child's presence on social media, their privacy may be at risk.
=== Teenagers === Some professionals argue that young people entering the workforce should consider the effect of their digital footprint on their marketability and professionalism.<ref name=":3" /> Having a digital footprint may be very good for students, as college admissions staff and potential employers may decide to research into prospective student's and employee's online profiles, leading to an enormous impact on the students' futures.<ref name=":3">{{cite web |title=10 Things Your Students Should Know About Their Digital Footprints |url=http://www.teachhub.com/10-things-your-students-should-know-about-their-digital-footprints |website=TeachHUB |access-date=2016-10-04 |archive-date=2020-01-28 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200128182415/http://www.teachhub.com/10-things-your-students-should-know-about-their-digital-footprints }}</ref> Researchers argue that adolescents’ online activities can have long-term implications for educational and professional opportunities. Instead, someone who acts apathetic towards the impression they are making online will struggle if they one day choose to attend college or enter into the workforce.<ref name=Bates2018>{{cite web |last1=Bates |first1=Cathy |date=October 29, 2018 |title=Take Charge of Your Online Reputation |url=https://er.educause.edu/articles/2018/10/take-charge-of-your-online-reputation |website=Educause }}</ref> Teens who plan to receive a higher education will have their digital footprint reviewed and assessed as a part of the application process.<ref name="Van Ouytsel et al 2014">{{cite journal |last1=Van Ouytsel |first1=Joris |last2=Walrave |first2=Michel |last3=Ponnet |first3=Koen |title=How Schools Can Help Their Students to Strengthen Their Online Reputations |journal=The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas |date=5 June 2014 |volume=87 |issue=4 |pages=180–185 |doi=10.1080/00098655.2014.909380 |s2cid=143484401 }}</ref> Besides, if the teens that have the intention of receiving a higher education are planning to do so with financial help and scholarships, then they need to consider that their digital footprint will be evaluated in the application process to get scholarships.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.fosi.org/good-digital-parenting/harmful-digital-footprint-impacts-teens/|title=Harmful Digital Footprint Impacts That Parents Should Know About|website=www.fosi.org|access-date=2019-04-04}}</ref>
=== Inequality === Digital footprints may reinforce existing social inequalities. In a conceptual overview of this topic, researchers argue that both actively and passively generated digital footprints represent a new dimension of digital inequality, with marginalized groups systematically disadvantaged in terms of online visibility and opportunity.<ref name=":03">{{Cite journal |last1=Micheli |first1=Marina |last2=Lutz |first2=Christoph |last3=Büchi |first3=Moritz |date=2018-01-01 |title=Digital footprints: an emerging dimension of digital inequality |url=https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/jices-02-2018-0014/full/html |journal=Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society |volume=16 |issue=3 |pages=242–251 |doi=10.1108/JICES-02-2018-0014 |issn=1477-996X|url-access=subscription }}</ref> Corporations and governments increasingly rely on algorithms that use digital footprints to automate decisions across areas like employment, credit, and public services, amplifying existing social inequalities.<ref name=":03" /> Because marginalized groups often have less extensive or lower-quality digital footprints, they are at greater risk of being misrepresented, excluded, or disadvantaged by these algorithmic processes.<ref name=":03" /> Examples of low-quality digital footprints include lack of data on online databases that track credit scores, legal history or medical history.<ref name=":03" /> People from higher socio-economic backgrounds are more likely to maintain favorable or carefully curated digital footprints, which can facilitate access to critical services, financial assistance, and employment.<ref name=":03" />
An example of digital inequality is access to essential e-government services. In the United Kingdom, individuals lacking a sufficient digital footprint face challenges in verify their identities.<ref name=":22">{{Cite journal |last1=Allmann |first1=Kira |last2=Radu |first2=Roxana |date=2023 |title=Digital footprints as barriers to accessing e-government services |journal=Global Policy |language=en |volume=14 |issue=1 |pages=84–94 |doi=10.1111/1758-5899.13140 |issn=1758-5899|doi-access=free }}</ref> This creates new barriers to services such as public housing and healthcare, producing a form of “double disadvantage”.<ref name=":22" /> A double disadvantage compounds existing issues in digital access by excluded from digital life lack both access and the digital reputation required to navigate public systems.<ref name=":22" /> Other communities with private access or open access to technology and digital education from an early age will have greater access to government e-services.<ref name=":22" />
The United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund's (UNICEF) ''State of the World's Children'' 2017 report highlights how digital footprints are linked to broader issues of equity, inclusion, and safety, emphasizing that marginalized communities experience greater risks in digital environments.<ref name=":12">{{cite web |date=December 2017 |title=The State of the World's Children 2017: Children in a Digital World |url=https://www.unicef.org/reports/state-worlds-children-2017 |access-date=April 27, 2025 |publisher=United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)}}</ref>
== Media and information literacy == Media and information literacy (MIL) encompasses the knowledge and skills necessary to access, evaluate, and create information across different media platforms.<ref name=":32">{{cite web |date=2013 |title=Global Media and Information Literacy Assessment Framework: Country Readiness and Competencies |url=https://unesdoc.unesco.org/ark:/48223/pf0000224655 |access-date=April 27, 2025 |publisher=United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)}}</ref> Understanding and managing one's digital footprint is increasingly recognized as a core component of MIL.
Scholars suggest that digital footprint literacy falls under privacy literacy, which refers to the ability to critically manage and protect personal information in online environments.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Suddekunte |first1=Srikant |last2=De |first2=Sourya Joyee |last3=Chattopadhyay |first3=Manojit |year=2024 |title=Thematic exploration of online privacy literacy and examination of its future agenda |journal=Behaviour & Information Technology |volume=43 |issue=15 |pages=3893–3921 |doi=10.1080/0144929X.2023.2288285}}</ref> Studies indicate that disparities in MIL access across countries and socio-demographic groups contribute to uneven abilities to manage digital footprints safely.<ref name=":32" />
=== Education === Organizations like UNESCO and UNICEF advocate for integrating MIL frameworks into formal education systems as a way to mitigate digital inequalities.<ref name=":32" /><ref name=":13">{{cite web |date=December 2017 |title=The State of the World's Children 2017: Children in a Digital World |url=https://www.unicef.org/reports/state-worlds-children-2017 |access-date=April 27, 2025 |publisher=United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF)}}</ref> However, there remains a notable lack of standardized MIL curricula globally, particularly concerning privacy literacy and digital footprint management.
In response to these gaps, researchers in 2022 developed the "5Ds of Privacy Literacy" educational framework, which emphasizes teaching students to "define, describe, discern, determine, and decide" appropriate information flows based on context.<ref name=":8">{{Cite journal |last1=Kumar |first1=Priya C. |last2=Byrne |first2=Virginia L. |date=2022-01-01 |title=The 5Ds of privacy literacy: a framework for privacy education |url=https://www.emerald.com/insight/content/doi/10.1108/ils-02-2022-0022/full/html |journal=Information and Learning Sciences |volume=123 |issue=7/8 |pages=445–461 |doi=10.1108/ILS-02-2022-0022 |issn=2398-5348}}</ref> Grounded in sociocultural learning theory, the 5Ds encourage students to make privacy decisions thoughtfully, rather than simply adhering to universal rules.<ref name=":8" /> Sociocultural learning theory means that students learn privacy skills not just by memorizing rules, but by actively engaging with real-world social situations, discussing them with others, and practicing decisions in authentic, contextualized settings.
This framework highlights that part of digital footprint literacy includes awareness about how people's behaviors are tracked online. Companies can infer demographic attributes such as age, gender, and political orientation without explicit disclosure.<ref name=":4">{{cite journal |last1=Hinds |first1=Joanne |last2=Joinson |first2=Adam N. |year=2018 |title=What demographic attributes do our digital footprints reveal? A systematic review |journal=PLOS ONE |volume=13 |issue=11 |article-number=e0207112 |doi=10.1371/journal.pone.0207112 |doi-access=free |pmid=30485305 |pmc=6261568 |bibcode=2018PLoSO..1307112H }}</ref> This is often done without users' awareness.<ref name=":4" /> Educating students about these practices aims to promote critical thinking about personal data trails.
Another part of digital footprint literacy is being able to critically assess one's own digital footprint. Initiatives like Australia's "Best Footprint Forward" program have implemented digital footprint education using real-world examples to teach critical self-assessment of online presence.<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Buchanan |first1=Rachel |last2=Southgate |first2=Erica |last3=Scevak |first3=Jill |last4=Smith |first4=Shamus P. |year=2018 |title=Expert insights into education for positive digital footprint development |url=https://search.informit.org/doi/10.3316/informit.243445474304969 |journal=Scan: The Journal for Educators |publisher=NSW Department of Education |volume=37 |pages=49–64 |issn=2202-4557}}</ref> Similarly, the Connecticut State Department of Education recommends incorporating digital citizenship, internet safety, and media literacy into K–12 education standards.<ref>{{cite web |date=January 2020 |title=Digital Citizenship, Internet Safety, and Media Literacy Guidelines and Recommended Actions |url=https://portal.ct.gov/-/media/sde/digital-citizenship-advisory-council/digital-citizenship-media-literacy-internet-safety-guidelines.pdf |access-date=April 27, 2025 |publisher=Connecticut State Department of Education}}</ref>
== See also == {{div col|colwidth=22em}} * Alternative data * Behavioral targeting * Browser isolation * Data exhaust * Digital identity * Internet anonymity * Internet privacy * Online advertising * Online identity * Reality mining * Reputation management * SIGINT * Social engineering * Social genome * Targeted marketing * UK/USA Agreement * Universal Product Code * Web tracking * Website * Wire data {{div col end}}
== References == {{Reflist}}
== Further reading == *{{cite journal |last1=Arya |first1=Vikas |last2=Sethi |first2=Deepa |last3=Paul |first3=Justin |title=Does digital footprint act as a digital asset? – Enhancing brand experience through remarketing |journal=International Journal of Information Management |date=1 December 2019 |volume=49 |pages=142–156 |doi=10.1016/j.ijinfomgt.2019.03.013 |s2cid=191181989 }} * {{cite web | author=BBVA | title=The enormous data trail we generate throughout the day | website=NEWS BBVA | date=2016-08-24 | url=https://www.bbva.com/en/the-enormous-data-trail-we-generate-throughout-the-day/ | access-date=2022-05-28|quote=Have you ever stopped to think about all the data you generate throughout the day? It was the possibility of actually making use of all this data through numerous apps, records and data bases that gave rise to Big Data.}} Category:Computing and society Category:Digital marketing Category:Past Category:Internet privacy