Take Control of Your Digital Life & Footprint – If You Don’t the Criminals Will

Manage Your Digital Footprint – Tread Lightly Online and How to Control Your Digital Life

You use the internet every day, whether to shop, communicate, bank, read the news, or access entertainment. While these activities feel routine, every click, login, and interaction leaves a mark. This collection of traces is called your digital footprint. It includes everything from search history and online purchases to social media posts and mobile app data. Your digital footprint is more than a trail, it is a profile that companies, advertisers, and even criminals can piece together to learn about your habits, preferences, identity, and vulnerabilities.

You cannot remove yourself entirely from the internet. Even if you avoid social media or use private browsing modes, you still rely on online services for many essential tasks. Instead of chasing complete invisibility, your goal should be to take charge of what information you share and how it’s used. When you manage your digital footprint with intention, you protect your privacy, improve your online security, and reduce your exposure to unwanted surveillance, data breaches, and targeted scams.

This guide will help you examine your current footprint and show you how to control it going forward.

Ask Why Before You Share Anything

Before you share any personal information online, pause and ask yourself a few direct questions. Why is this website or app requesting this data? Does it need this information to function? What am I gaining in return?

Some requests make sense. A navigation app cannot offer directions without access to your location. An online store needs your shipping address to deliver a purchase. But many platforms ask for more than they need. A free game might ask to access your contacts, microphone, or camera without any functional reason. An e-commerce site might request your birthdate when it already has your payment details. If the request seems unnecessary, decline it.

Make it a habit to question each prompt. The more you share, the more others can track, store, or even sell. Reducing what you provide limits how much of your personal life becomes data.

Search Your Name and Audit Your Exposure

To understand your digital footprint, start by seeing what others can find about you. Use search engines like Google, Bing, and DuckDuckGo to look up your name, usernames, phone number, and email address. You may uncover old blog posts, tagged photos, outdated profiles, or comments you forgot about. If you find something inaccurate or outdated, check if the website offers removal options or contact the site administrator.

You should also check whether your email address has been involved in known data breaches. Use services like “Have I Been Pwned” to find out if your credentials were leaked. If they were, change your password for that account immediately. Also, change the passwords for any other accounts where you reused the same credentials. Avoid using the same password in more than one place going forward.

This simple audit gives you visibility into what others might find about you and alerts you to risks you may not have noticed before.

Use a Password Manager to Track and Reduce Accounts

A password manager is more than a tool for creating strong passwords. It’s also one of the most effective ways to understand the full scope of your online accounts. Once you store your login credentials in one place, you can see just how many accounts you’ve created over the years.

Go through the list of saved logins and identify accounts you no longer use. Old forums, online stores, or subscription services might still have access to your data. Log in to those accounts and delete them if possible. If deletion isn’t available, remove as much personal information as the system allows.

For accounts you need to keep, make sure your passwords are strong, unique, and stored only in your password manager. Update any that are reused or easy to guess. When you eliminate unused accounts and secure the ones you keep, you significantly reduce your exposure to breaches or impersonation.

The SCARS Institute recommends BitWarden password manager – have a paid account, you need the extra features. NEVER use LastPass.

Avoid Creating New Accounts Unless Necessary

Almost every website and app now encourages you to create an account. This is because your data has value. Companies want to collect it, track it, and monetize it. But you don’t need to give in every time.

If a website allows you to check out as a guest instead of creating an account, choose that option. If an app offers basic features without registration, use it that way. Ask yourself whether creating a new profile is truly necessary or just convenient. Fewer accounts mean fewer companies holding your data, fewer logins to manage, and fewer points of vulnerability.

Each time you avoid creating an unnecessary account, you keep your digital footprint smaller and easier to control.

Review and Adjust Your Privacy Settings

Many large platforms collect more data than most users realize. This includes search engines, social media networks, e-commerce websites, and mobile device providers. While you may not avoid these services entirely, you can limit what they collect and share.

Set a reminder to check your privacy settings every few months. Start with platforms like Google, Facebook, Instagram, Apple, Microsoft, and LinkedIn. Go through each category of data—location, search history, ad personalization, and profile visibility—and turn off anything you don’t need.

For social media, review who can see your posts, friend lists, and personal information. Restrict access to people you know or trust. Avoid letting strangers view your activity or timeline.

Make sure you disable location tracking or background data collection for apps that don’t require it. Limit third-party integrations and sign-ins. If an app is no longer in use, uninstall it.

Regular privacy reviews help you stay informed and in control of your data rather than leaving it open for constant collection.

If you do not know how to set your privacy settings on a specific platform, simply Google is: ‘How to set my privacy settings on Facebook‘, for example.

Understand and Use Your Legal Privacy Rights

In many countries, data privacy is now protected by law. You may have the legal right to access, correct, or delete the data that companies hold about you. These rights vary depending on where you live, but they are becoming more common and more enforceable.

In the United States, California residents benefit from the California Consumer Privacy Act (CCPA), which allows people to request access to their data, learn how it’s used, and demand its deletion in some cases. In the European Union, the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) grants similar rights to EU citizens and residents, giving individuals the power to control their digital identities.

Familiarize yourself with the laws that apply in your location. If you live in a region without strong privacy laws, look into browser extensions and tools that allow you to block tracking or limit advertising data collection.

When you know your rights, you are better prepared to make informed decisions and to demand that companies respect your privacy.

Learn more: Privacy Laws, Policies and Guidance from the U.S Department of Commerce

Be Intentional with Your Browsing and Posting Habits

The best way to protect your digital footprint is to stop oversharing. Many privacy risks come from information that people give away voluntarily. Before posting or sharing anything online, consider whether the content reveals personal details that someone could use against you.

Avoid sharing full birthdates, travel plans, home addresses, or anything that gives clues about your daily routine. Even a seemingly innocent post about a vacation can alert criminals that your home is empty.

Use private browsing or “Incognito” modes when researching sensitive topics, shopping for surprise gifts, or logging into accounts on shared devices. While these modes do not make you invisible, they reduce local tracking and limit browser history.

When posting on social media, assume that everything could become public—even private messages. Avoid discussing personal financial matters or sensitive emotional topics in comment sections or chat windows. Keep your digital voice as intentional as your in-person conversations.

Browser settings:

• Chrome: chrome://settings
• Safari – Apple Support (MT)

Build Habits That Last

Managing your digital footprint is not a one-time task. It’s an ongoing process. You do not need to become invisible online, but you do need to stay aware of what you share and who sees it. These habits will help you build long-term digital hygiene:

• Use two-factor authentication on important accounts like email, banking, and cloud storage.

• Log out of accounts when using public or shared computers.

• Monitor your credit report at least once a year.

• Subscribe to data breach alert services.

• Review app permissions on your mobile devices regularly.

• Backup your data securely and delete unused backups.

Each of these steps adds a layer of security and helps you maintain greater control over your online presence.

Take Ownership of Your Digital Identity

Your digital footprint is part of your identity. It reflects your behavior, values, and habits in a connected world. You do not have to erase yourself from the internet to stay safe. But you should treat your digital presence with the same care you apply to your physical life.

By being selective with what you share, minimizing unnecessary accounts, auditing your visibility, and using available tools, you reduce risk and protect your privacy. The more control you take, the less power others have to collect, exploit, or misuse your information.

Owning your digital footprint means making intentional choices. Every time you pause before clicking “agree,” opening a new account, or posting something online, you strengthen your privacy and sharpen your awareness. Over time, these actions form habits that protect you from breaches, scams, and surveillance.

You do not need to disconnect from the world to stay safe. You only need to pay attention, take action, and maintain control. That is how you build a secure and sustainable digital life.