Should You Delete Your Digital Footprint?

Our digital activity spills into almost every aspect of daily life. We click on our weather apps to choose what to wear, we check our email as we leave the house for work, and social media scrolls fill our moments of boredom. 

Most of us barely give a second thought to the digital footprint our online presence leaves. However, the WhatsApp or Facebook Messenger messages we send, the TikTok and Instagram videos we post, and the websites we visit leave a traceable footprint. 

Information about our search histories and the personal data we enter to open our online accounts may be collected by data brokers or used for targeted marketing purposes.

Hackers and other cybercriminals may target our digital footprints to steal our identities or for other nefarious purposes. So, should you delete your digital footprint? Perhaps. How to delete your digital footprint may seem like a complex question, but digital footprint erasure is relatively easy. Let’s take a look.

What is a digital footprint?

Every time you use the internet, you leave a trail of data behind, known as a digital footprint. Your footprint can be useful to personalize the ads you see, and algorithms may access your digital footprint to feature content that’s aligned with your tastes. 

However, without utilizing cybersecurity features, you may find your online activity is tracked by unwanted parties as well. It’s important to remain aware of the personal information you share online, and take steps to enhance your cybersecurity protections. This can include deleting your digital footprint.

Types of digital footprints

There are different types of digital footprints your online presence creates — active and passive. An active digital footprint is created by the personal data you intentionally share. When you enter your credit card and contact information to make an online purchase, this is an active digital footprint.

A passive digital footprint includes the data you unintentionally or unwittingly share. For example, tracking cookies that are installed without alerting you first, geolocations, and advertising profiles created via your likes and shares are considered passive digital footprints.

The following may combine to create your digital footprint:

• Emails
• IP Address
• Messages sent via apps or social media platforms
• Online purchases
• Published content or reviews
• Search history
• Social media posts and comments
• Subscriptions to newsletters and other media content
• Tracking cookies
• Visited websites  

How your digital footprint impacts your cybersecurity

Although it’s impossible to spend time online without creating a digital footprint, it’s important to understand how your online presence can impact your cybersecurity. 

For example, you’re probably aware that you shouldn’t leave your contact information in a social media comment. However, you may not think twice about signing up for website emails or newsletters, or entering your personal details on an online shopping platform.

The more digital breadcrumbs you leave online, the more you open yourself up to the risk of cyberattacks. Here are some of the cyberattacks that an untouched digital footprint can create:

• Identity theft:

Hackers can expose your cybersecurity vulnerabilities and find your personal information via social media comments and posts, and confidential details you may have actively entered into websites. This can lead to identity theft and prove extremely costly.

• Password attacks:

Cybersecurity professionals suggest changing this digital footprint on a regular basis, using strong passwords, and ensuring you don’t use the same password for multiple accounts.

In July 2024, the largest password breaches in history occurred when Cybernews discovered RockYou2024— a password attack that leaked almost 10 billion unique passwords compiled from old and new data breaches.

• Phishing:

The collectible data left by your digital footprint could also leave you vulnerable to phishing attacks. Cybercriminals can craft credible-sounding emails or social media messages based on your digital profile and target you through this popular form of cyber attack.

• Social Engineering:

Your passive digital footprint can be the target of hackers launching a social engineering attack. Tracking cookies, IP addresses, browsing history, and other information you inadvertently share could be used to predict your future activity. 

This passive footprint could be used to target you with fake websites and online product offers.

• Unauthorized account access: 

If your account credentials remain a part of your online presence, you could be vulnerable to account takeovers from cybercriminals. Bad actors can assume your identity and take over your account. 

For example, if you have a friend whose Facebook account was hacked, someone posing as your friend could assume their social media identity.

How to check your digital footprint

Before deleting your digital footprint, you can check on the online breadcrumbs you leave on your internet trail. You can use digital footprint checkers, like Privacy Bee, look for data breaches via tools such as Malwarebytes, search online public records for your name, or even just enter your name into a Google search.

Each of these methods can help to raise your awareness of your digital footprint, and help you to discern what information you want to delete. 

How to delete your digital footprint

Digital footprint erasure may sound like an insurmountable challenge to the average person online, but there are some simple steps that you can take to delete your digital footprint. 

Here are some ways that you can delete your digital footprint from prying criminal eyes:

• Delete any unused apps from your computer and smart devices.

• Disable ad-tracking from your social media accounts.

• Disable geolocation trackers from accounts and devices.

• Find and delete your personal information from Google.

• Opt-out from data collection options on websites: If you live in California, the CCPA mandates that websites alert users to any data collection. Other states also have similar regulations in place.

• Routinely evaluate the security settings on your smart devices.

• Unsubscribe from inactive online accounts.

You can also use privacy tools that will limit your digital footprint and reduce its size, including the following:

• Data Seal:

Data Seal removes all traces of your digital footprint by deleting exposed data online, and sending you alerts of any future personal information exposure. Data Seal also increases your cybersecurity protection from identity theft by monitoring resurfacing of your digital footprint.

• Delete Me:

Delete Me helps with digital footprint erasure by automatically removing your information from search engines and data brokers. The knowledgeable Delete Me team conducts a comprehensive search of all online databases to ensure a complete deletion of your digital footprint. 

• LifeLock:

LifeLock is an amazing tool for identity theft protection. Although it doesn’t completely delete your digital footprint, this tool can alert you to any potential misuse of your identity and monitors use of your social security number too.

What Is My IP Address: Free Personal Data Scan 

What Is My IP Address is dedicated to raising public awareness of cybersecurity threats and offering ways that the average internet user can protect their personal information. Among other tools, our free Personal Data Scan scans over 80 databases of US people search websites and data brokers, and alerts you to where your personal data appears online. 

Once you know where your personal information shows up on the internet, you can make an informed choice about how to delete your digital footprint, and maintain your preferred level of privacy. 

Be sure to check out our blog for the latest news, tips, and trends in cybersecurity.