How to protect your digital footprint: 13 key strategies

Your digital footprint is the data trail you leave behind through your online activities. It includes everything from social media posts and emails to website visits and online transactions.

This information can be tracked, stored, and potentially used to create a profile of your online identity. In the wrong hands, your digital footprint can open the door to privacy breaches, cyberattacks, and even identity theft.

But you can take steps to minimize these risks, protect your online presence, and secure your personal information. Read on to learn how to help protect your digital footprint, minimize your digital data trail, and help safeguard your identity.

1. Keep your personal information private

The best way to protect your personal information is to keep it private in the first place. To limit your digital footprint and minimize exposure to cyber threats, avoid sharing any sensitive details on public platforms and be cautious about the data you provide in online forms, social media posts, and emails.

Even information that may seem harmless can increase your risk of being targeted. For example, a hacker could use personal details like your birthday or the names of pets to try to crack your password.

To help stay safe, avoid oversharing online and keep the following personally identifiable information (PII) off the internet wherever possible:

• Full name
• Home address
• Financial details
• Passwords
• Contact information
• Current location
• Future travel plans

2. Delete old accounts

The more online accounts you have, the more exposed your digital footprint is. Deleting accounts you no longer use is an easy win when it comes to removing your personal information from the internet and shrinking your digital footprint. By removing old accounts, like a loyalty program for a retailer you no longer shop at or an unused social media profile, you can reduce your exposure to cyberstalkers and data breaches.

3. Tighten your privacy settings

Take steps to strengthen your privacy settings for any online accounts you actively use and decide to keep. This will help limit data sharing and boost the security of your personal information.

Here’s how to tighten your privacy settings on a few popular platforms:

Google

To customize your Google account privacy settings:

1. Open Google Account Settings and click Data & privacy.
2. Review and update your privacy settings.

Facebook

To configure your Facebook privacy settings from within the Facebook app:

1. Tap Menu and then Settings & privacy.
2. Open the Privacy Center and then tap Review settings.
3. Review and update your audience settings, information and permissions, and profile privacy settings.

Instagram

To strengthen your Instagram privacy from within the Instagram app:

1. Tap on the three horizontal lines at the top right of your profile to open Settings and Privacy.
2. Tap Account privacy and toggle Private account on.

4. Use strong passwords

Committing to using strong passwords that are unique to each of your online accounts can help protect your digital footprint by securing the places where your data is stored. A strong password should be at least 12 characters long, made up of words or phrases that are difficult for hackers to guess, and ideally include a combination of the following:

• Uppercase letters
• Lowercase letters
• Numbers
• Symbols

5. Block third-party cookies

Third-party cookies add to your digital footprint by tracking your online activity across different websites, allowing advertisers to build detailed profiles of your interests and habits to fuel targeted ad campaigns. To limit the digital footprint that advertisers can use against you, you can block third-party cookies and delete any already stored in your browser.

How to block third-party cookies on Google Chrome

To disable cookies on your Chrome browser:

1. Select the three dots at the top right of the window and then open Settings.
2. Click Privacy and security and then Third-party cookies.
3. Select the Block third-party cookies option.

How to delete third-party cookies on Google Chrome

To delete cookies on your Chrome browser:

1. Select the three dots at the top right of the window and then open Settings.
2. Click Privacy and security and then Third-party cookies.
3. Click See all site data and permissions and then select Delete all data.

6. Opt out of people-search sites

Opting out of people-search sites is another way to protect your digital footprint. These sites gather your personal information from public sources and compile it into reports — often including your address, age, date of birth, and employment history — to sell to third parties. Submitting opt-out requests to these databases reduces your online visibility and minimizes the risk of being targeted by scammers or identity thieves.

7. Regularly update software

Outdated software can leave your device vulnerable to cyberattacks that exploit unpatched security vulnerabilities to access personal data. Enable automatic updates for your operating system, apps, and antivirus software to help safeguard the trove of sensitive data that can be accessed via your device against malware and other cyber threats.

8. Unsubscribe from mailing lists

Unsubscribing from mailing lists helps protect your digital footprint by reducing the amount of databases your personal data, like your name and email address, is stored on. Fewer subscriptions mean there’s less chance of your information being sold or exposed in data breaches, less annoying spam, and a reduced risk of falling for a phishing scam.

9. Create an alternative spam email

To help keep your primary email private, consider creating an alternative, spam email account to use when signing up for loyalty programs, surveys, newsletters, and promotions. Using a throwaway email address that’s not associated with your primary accounts or other personal information helps keep your digital footprint lighter.

10. Restrict app permissions

Restricting app permissions helps protect your digital footprint by limiting the data apps can access on your device. Many apps access your location data, contacts, and even your camera and microphone — often unnecessarily. Review and adjust your app permissions so each app has access to only the data that’s essential for it to function.

How to restrict app permissions on iPhone

Here’s how to block app tracking requests on iPhone:

1. Open Settings, tap Privacy & Security, and then Tracking.
2. Toggle Allow Apps to Request to Track off.

How to restrict app permissions on Android

Here’s how to customize app permissions on Android:

1. Open Settings and tap Apps.
2. Select an app you want to restrict.
3. Tap Permissions and choose the type of permission.
4. Select Don’t allow.

11. Sign up for dark web monitoring

Your digital footprint is valuable to thieves who buy and sell information on the dark web. Cybercriminals may buy this exposed data to launch account takeover attacks or phishing schemes and commit identity theft. If personal information like your email is found on the dark web, a dark web monitoring service will help you find out, so you can take action to secure your accounts.

12. Use a VPN

A VPN helps cover up your digital footprint by encrypting your internet connection and masking your IP address. By routing all the data you send and receive via a secure server, VPNs reduce your exposure to cyber threats and keep your browsing habits more anonymous, helping prevent websites, advertisers, and hackers from tracking your online activity.

13. Be mindful of what you post online

When posting online, think about your data privacy, and consider the impact your post could have on your personal and professional life.

Here are some questions to ask yourself before posting anything online:

• Would you be comfortable giving this information to a potential scammer?
• Would you be okay with a future employer seeing this post?
• Would you be comfortable with family members seeing this post?
• Is your language and tone respectful?
• Would you be okay with this post remaining online in five, ten, or even 50 years?

What personal information is on your digital footprint?

Your digital footprint includes a wide range of personal information scattered across different platforms and media, including social media activity, search history, online purchases, location data, and login credentials.

Here are the main data points which make up your digital footprint:

• Personal information: Includes your name, email, phone number, home address, and birthdate, often shared through accounts, forms, and public records.
• Social media activity: Posts, comments, likes, and shares on platforms like Facebook, X, and Instagram contribute to your online presence and can be publicly visible.
• Browsing history: Websites you visit, search queries, and online behavior are tracked by browsers, advertisers, and data brokers.
• Online reviews: Your public ratings and reviews on sites like Yelp and Google are often viewable by anyone.
• Emails and messages: Communications through email and messaging apps may be stored, scanned, or intercepted if not properly secured.
• Shopping history: Online shopping history, payment details, and preferences are stored by retailers and can be used for targeted marketing.
• Location data: Information about your location from navigation and fitness tracker apps.
• Dating apps: Your profile details and the messages you send to other users.

What can someone do with your digital footprint?

Your digital footprint can be used to track your online behavior, target you with ads, or even be exploited for identity theft, fraud, or phishing scams. Employers and insurers may also review it to assess your reputation.

Here are a few things that someone could do as a result of accessing your digital footprint:

• Deny you a job: Potential employers may review your online presence and choose not to hire you based on what they find.
• Reject your college application: Admissions officers might discover something in your digital footprint that contradicts the university’s values.
• Impersonate you: Cybercriminals can use your photos and details to create fake profiles that allow them to pose as you.
• Cyberstalk you: Someone may gather personal information from your digital footprint to stalk you virtually or physically.
• Share your data: Some companies have been caught sharing users’ personal data without permission. Recently, LinkedIn was accused of allegedly sharing users’ private messages to train AI tools.
• Steal your identity: Scammers can exploit your digital footprint to collect information for identity theft.

Help protect your digital footprint with LifeLock

It’s not possible to completely erase your digital footprint, but you can take steps to lighten it and protect your personal information from being used for malicious purposes.

LifeLock combines advanced identity theft protection features with a proactive Privacy Monitor that can help reduce public exposure of your data. And by constantly patrolling the dark web, notifying you if your information is discovered, LifeLock helps you stay one step ahead of bad actors. Subscribe today to help secure your digital identity.

FAQs

What is the difference between an active and a passive digital footprint?

An active digital footprint is created intentionally through actions like posting on social media, making online purchases, or filling out forms. A passive digital footprint, on the other hand, is generated through activities like browsing websites, encountering tracking cookies, or incidentally sharing location data, often without your direct involvement.

How long does a digital footprint last?

A digital footprint can last indefinitely. Once information is shared online, it may be archived or cached, making it accessible long after it's deleted from its original source. That’s why it's so important to be mindful of what data you share and how you behave online in the first place.

Who can see your digital footprint?

Anyone with access to the internet can see aspects of your digital footprint, including ex-parters, scammers, family members, potential employers, and college admissions counselors.

How do I check my digital footprint?

To check your publicly available digital footprint, search your name on search engines like Google or Bing to see what information is available online. If you have a common name, you can add other identifiers, such as your hometown or job title, to narrow the search down.

Why is protecting your digital footprint important?

Protecting your digital footprint is essential for maintaining privacy, securing personal information, and minimizing the risk of identity theft. It allows you to manage your online reputation and reduces the risk of being targeted by scams, phishing, and intrusive ads.