Step Carefully: Covering Digital Footprint is Key to Web Privacy

The fallout from not understanding Web privacy issues, and not doing anything about digital footprints left on the Web, can be damaging, if not catastrophic.

How do you leave footprints?

You can leave digital footprints virtually everywhere you visit on the Web. Each time you click on an ad, visit a social networking site, enter a credit card number for a purchase, or simply perform a search using Google or Yahoo, you are leaving behind information on your wants, needs, interests, and financial lives.

Here’s how to remove your digital footprint:

-Leave your name out of search terms. Don’t search for your name or any of your personal information. If you have to conduct your own name search, do so on a different computer than the one you normally use.

-Ignore your ISP. A lot of people rely on their internet service provider (ISP) to run search engine tasks. Don’t do it because your ISP knows your search history.

-Try “Browzar.” A search engine called Browzar (browzar.com) acts as an online vacuum cleaner that removes Internet caches, histories, cookies, and online autoforms.

Eliminating your Web footprint—and your personal life—online is no luxury, it’s a necessity. The good news is that with a few steps, you can wipe away your digital footprint and scare away online predators in the process.