Tinaye Agere
Dr Samuel Chindaro
In line with global trends and Vision 2030 goals, Zimbabwe has seen an unprecedented growth in the use of information and communication technology (ICT) by the public in the past few years.
To accelerate this, the Government — through the Ministry of Information Communication Technology, Postal and Courier Services — has put in place the Smart Zimbabwe 2030 Master Plan, which seeks to harness Zimbabwe’s potential to exploit ICTs for socio-economic development and transformation.
The growth in ICT usage in Zimbabwe has been accompanied by increased use of the internet, social and economic media applications and platforms.
By using these platforms, people are creating digital footprints which can have serious implications in their present and future lives.
A digital footprint is the unique trail of data that individuals leave online when engaging in digital activities.
This includes all forms of online interaction, from social media use, website browsing to online transactions.
This footprint can be created without the user’s knowledge or where individuals deliberately share information online via social media posts or email.
You leave a digital footprint behind each time you visit a website, click on a link, tap on a video or play an online game.
These are different from ordinary footprints because they do not automatically disappear.
Digital footprints are created when one does social media uploads and posts.
This includes photos, status updates, check-ins, online groups and sites that you have liked or joined, and posts from other people that you have shared.
Connecting with new friends, making fresh contacts, exchanging photos and information, and other activities can leave a noticeable digital footprint.
Other actions that expand your digital footprint include leaving reviews, reading articles, listening to music or watching videos. Even going on a shopping spree in an online store leaves behind a data trail.
Everything, from logging into shopping apps to newsletter subscriptions and clicking ads, will contribute to your digital footprint.
Online news publications do collect information like article views, topic preferences, where you post or share content, et cetera.
This user behaviour data is added to your digital footprint, whether you like it or not. Online banking is another way you can contribute to your digital footprint. Opening a new account, getting a credit card and using your credentials to make payments involve the wilful sharing of information and create active digital footprints.
Have you been asked to instal or accept the use of “cookies” recently?
Cookies track your activity and add to your footprint.
What is even worse is, you can contribute to your digital footprint unknowingly and unwillingly.
The creation of a digital footprint can have negative consequences.
Social media enables digital tracing of interests, social groups, behaviours and location.
Strangers can easily piece together information about individuals by only using search engines.
While one’s digital footprint may reveal personal information, such as where one lives and places one visits, race, religious and political views, personality or intelligence without ones’ knowledge, it can also expose one’s private psychological thinking and social behaviour.
It enables strangers to collect information concerning an individual’s life and behaviour without their consent.
The use of social media and the digital footprint left behind can have a negative impact on children.
An increasing number of parents are creating social media accounts for their children at a young age.
Parents are increasingly posting photos of a child on social media before their teen years, of everyday life or birthday celebrations.
Since an identity’s basic components contain a name, birth date and address, these children are susceptible to identity theft, and it puts their privacy at risk. Strangers may take the images and create the impression that they are these children’s parents.
Young people entering the workforce should consider the effect of their digital footprint on their marketability and professionalism.
Having a digital footprint may be very good for learners, as some admissions processes now include research into prospective students’ and employees’ online profiles.
Teens should, therefore, consider the kind of impact they are making online and how it can affect their future.
Employers are also now increasingly using online vetting for assessing candidates’ fitness.
Between two equal candidates, the one with a positive digital footprint may have an advantage.
For the most part, once data becomes public online, others can manipulate it in many ways, especially with the growing use of hacking, unauthorised secret recordings of conversations and artificial intelligence (AI).
Imagine having a secret recording made public through social media, and thousands of people sharing it, maybe taking your thoughts out of context.
This information can also be used for blackmail, soiling people’s reputations and exploitation of individuals.
Every footprint you leave behind, whether knowingly or unknowingly, could either make you look good or bad.
But given your limited control over this data and lack of context, digital footprints can do more harm than good.
A person’s digital footprint can be used to learn more about them and gain their trust. This can make people vulnerable to blackmail and cyberattacks.
There is also the issue of privacy.
Leaving a digital footprint means you do not have any privacy, either online or in the real world.
Digital footprints can significantly impact one’s online privacy and security.
They can be managed and protected through careful online behaviour, regular privacy check-ups and using appropriate security measures.
Since it is hard not to have a digital footprint, it is in one’s best interest to create a positive one.
Remember that everything you post online will leave a footprint, even if deleted.
Before you press that share, post, send message or submit button, always think about the picture it portrays of you. Is this how you want to be perceived by the world?
Dr Samuel Chindaro holds a PhD in Electronics (University of Kent), MSc in Electronics and IT (University of Birmingham) and a B.Eng Hons in Electronic Engineering (NUST). He is also a chartered engineer (Institution of Engineering and Technology). He can be contacted on: [email protected]
Online Reporter