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Footprints while walking aren’t worried about as much, but a digital footprint is something you should take precautions of. So, what is a digital footprint? Let’s break it down. A digital footprint is a term that’s used to describe your data trail on the internet. Every action that you take on the internet, whether you’re making purchases online, signing up for coupons or creating an account, posting on social media, and leaving online reviews, leaves a trail on you. So, let’s get into why digital footprints are important. Digital footprints are something that doesn’t disappear. Even after deleting a message that you didn’t mean to send or a picture that was accidentally sent, this is now included in your digital footprint. Reputation. A digital footprint can have a notable impact on your reputation. This doesn’t matter if the data is decades old. Your reputation is also something you should worry about. Having such a good reputation is great for individuals and many businesses in today's world. This can open many doors to new employment opportunities and lead to increased income. Employment. It’s not just employers who check your social media. Government, security companies, police stations, and others check it also before issuing your certificates or citizenships. Some ways that you can check your digital footprint are search engines, image search, reviewing your past social media, checking aggregated sites, and google alerts. Some of the consequences of digital footprint are damaged reputations, cybersecurity vulnerability, blackmail, employer screening, and fraud. So, let’s get into the different types of digital footprints. Active digital footprint. Active digital footprint is when the user has intentionally shared information about themselves either by social media sites or even by using websites. Normally, when active digital footprints occur, is when a user may have logged into a site when editing or maybe making comments such as on online assembly or a social media site. Next, Passive digital footprint. Passive digital footprint is when information is collected from the user without the person knowing this is happening. This usually occurs when websites collect information about how many times users visit, where they come from, and even their IP address. This is the data that is available to the general public, such as your social media posts. Positive digital footprint. Positive digital footprint is something that signals a good online reputation that lets you expand your social network and achieve your career goals. Some good examples of positive digital footprints that you should consider positive are writing a blog about a book you’ve read, creating a sponsorship page for maybe a fundraising activity that you’re involved in, or maybe even uploading digital artworks that you’ve created. Last, but not least, negative digital footprint. Negative digital footprints is when it’s usually released purposely by a user to share information on websites or social media. This can have a huge impact on your life. Some impacts can include affecting someone’s perspective on you, impacting your college admissions, ruining your school opportunities, affecting your chances of getting a job or promotion, or even putting your financial security at risk. Let’s hope you’ve all learned something pristine and remember to always be safe.