What is a Digital Footprint?

 

-Active digital footprint

 

         An active digital footprint is any information that is publicly traceable on the internet. Things like your own social media posts and comments you leave are categorized as an active footprint; anything that is readily accessible to the public. Such footprints are most famously tracked when your employer is pending on whether to hire you or applying to a university. 

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-Passive digital footprint:

 

         A passive digital footprint is any minute information you leave behind on the internet that isn't accessible to the public. For instance, information like browsing history, purchasing habits, IP addresses, and cookies. Most commonly, the information that companies will collect to build a customer profile of you. Because this information isn't accessible to the public, it doesn't' pose as much of a risk as an active digital footprint.