Communication and collaboration online

4.1 What is a digital footprint

Every time we use the internet, we leave traces of our activity. These traces are called our digital footprint. It includes everything we do online: the websites we visit, the messages we send, the photos we post, the purchases we make and even the searches we perform.

A digital footprint can be active or passive.

Active digital footprint

This is the information we deliberately share online. Examples include:

• Posts, comments and photos on social media;
• Filling out online forms;
• Sending emails;
• Creating accounts on websites or apps.

Passive digital footprint

This is information collected about us without our direct action. Examples include:

• Websites tracking our browsing history through cookies;
• Location data collected by apps on our phone;
• Advertising companies tracking our online behavior to show targeted ads.

4.2 Why does your digital footprint matter

Your digital footprint can have real consequences in your life:

• Employers may search your name online before hiring you;
• Schools or organizations may check your social media activity;
• Information posted online can be difficult or impossible to completely remove;
• Personal data can be used by third parties for advertising, scams or identity theft.

⚠ Attention

Once something is posted on the internet, it can be very difficult to fully remove. Even if you delete a post, someone may have already saved or shared it. This is especially important to consider before posting photos of children.

4.3 Managing your digital footprint

While we cannot completely avoid leaving a digital footprint, we can take steps to manage it:

• Think before posting: Ask yourself: “Would I be comfortable if this were seen by everyone?”
• Regularly review your social media profiles and remove old or unwanted content;
• Use privacy settings to control who can see your information;
• Be careful about which apps and websites you give permission to access your data;
• Search your own name on a search engine to see what information about you is publicly available.

📘 How to check your digital footprint

1. Open a search engine (e.g., Google).
2. Type your full name in the search bar.
3. Look at the results: what information about you is visible?
4. Check the images tab as well to see if any photos of you appear.
5. If you find information you want to remove, visit the relevant website and look for options to delete your account or request removal.

4.4 Your children’s digital footprint

Parents play a crucial role in shaping their children’s digital footprint, often even before the child starts using the internet themselves.

The practice of parents sharing information, photos and stories about their children on social media is sometimes called “sharenting” (a combination of “sharing” and “parenting”). While sharing proud moments about children is natural, it is important to consider the potential consequences.

Before sharing content about your children, ask yourself:

• Who can see these photos and posts?
• Could this content embarrass the child in the future?
• Does the photo include information that could reveal the child’s location (school uniform, address, etc.)?
• Has the child (if old enough) given their consent?

💡 Tips for protecting your child’s digital footprint

• Avoid posting photos that reveal your child’s school, address or daily routine;
• Use privacy settings so that only trusted people can see photos of your children;
• Ask your child’s permission before posting their photos, especially as they get older;
• Talk to your children about the importance of thinking before sharing content online.

📝 Activity

Search your name and your children’s names on Google.

1. What information appears in the results?

2. Are there any photos of you or your children that you did not expect to find?

3. Are there any steps you would like to take to reduce your digital footprint?

4.5 The persistence and permanence of the footprint

Many people believe that deleting a photo or post completely removes it from the internet. This is a dangerous misconception. The reality is that the internet has a long memory and true digital erasure is nearly impossible.

• Caching and indexing: Search engines frequently save temporary copies of content. Even after a user deletes the original post, the cached copy can persist for a significant time.
• Third-party data aggregation: Data brokers and various third-party apps may have already collected and stored the information.
• Screenshots and resharing: Once content is shared, it can be screenshotted, downloaded and distributed globally outside of the original platform’s control.

The Right to Be Forgotten

While legislation like the GDPR provides citizens in some regions with a “Right to Be Forgotten,” this right is limited. It primarily compels search engines to de-list certain search results, but it does not remove the information from the original website or from archives.

⚠ Attention

Teach your children that the moment they hit “post,” they should consider that information permanent. The goal is not to delete, but to prevent the creation of damaging content in the first place.

4.6 The footprint and future opportunities

A positive digital footprint is increasingly seen as a necessary part of a competitive profile for education and career advancement. Conversely, a negative footprint can serve as an automatic gatekeeper.

Academic and professional screening

• University admissions committees often review a candidate’s public online presence to assess character and judgment.
• Scholarship committees view social media as a quick way to vet candidates. Inappropriate posts can lead to the loss of funding.
• Studies consistently show that a large percentage of employers use social media screening as part of the hiring process.

Building a positive online portfolio

• Highlight achievements: Use platforms to share achievements, projects, volunteer work or positive contributions.
• Show passion: Engage in relevant online discussions related to desired fields of study or career.
• Professional communication: Always maintain respectful and articulate communication, even in casual posts.

💡 Tip for families

• Encourage your child to think of their online presence as a long-term portfolio. Just as they would carefully prepare a CV, their social media should reflect their best qualities and interests.

4.7 Auditing and cleaning up old footprints

Parents and children should periodically engage in a comprehensive digital cleanup to minimize risk.

📘 Steps for a comprehensive digital audit

1. Search engine deep dive: Use multiple search terms (full name, old usernames, email addresses) across different search engines (Google, Bing) and check all tabs (Web, Images, Video).
2. Social media review: Review old posts, comments and photos on every social media account. Use the “View As” feature (if available) to see what a stranger sees. Delete or archive anything potentially embarrassing.
3. Third-party connections: Review the settings on major accounts (e.g., Google or Facebook) to see a list of every third-party app with access to your data. Revoke access to any unused or suspicious apps.
4. Old account deactivation: Identify any old accounts (from forgotten games, forums or old projects) and follow the specific steps to deactivate or permanently delete them.

4.8 Digital shadows: the footprint left by others

An individual’s digital footprint is often a mix of their own actions and the actions of others. Managing this “digital shadow” is vital, especially for teenagers who are frequently tagged by friends or mentioned by family.

Managing tagged content

• Review and approval: Most platforms offer a setting that requires the user to review and manually approve any photo or post they are tagged in before it becomes visible. This is a critical setting for teens to enable.
• Untagging: Teach children how to untag themselves from inappropriate or unwanted photos. If the content remains public, they should ask the person who posted it to remove it.
• Public mentions: Be aware of content that mentions your child’s name without a tag (e.g., a news article, a blog post). This requires regular search engine monitoring.

The sharenting legacy

Parents’ historical sharenting (photos posted from childhood) forms a significant part of their child’s early digital shadow. As children become teenagers, parents should involve them in the decision-making process for this legacy content.

• Consent: Honor the teen’s request to remove or archive content from their childhood that they find embarrassing. This respects their developing autonomy and builds trust.
• Privacy settings: Ensure all older posts featuring the child are restricted to “Friends Only” or an even narrower list of trusted family members.

📝 Activity: The digital shadow check

1. Ask your child to look at their profile. How many people are allowed to tag them in photos without their approval?

2. Review the last five photos they were tagged in by friends. Do these photos accurately represent the image they want to project?

3. Discuss a piece of content you (the parent) posted about them when they were younger. Ask them directly: “Do you want this content to remain online?”