Source: (Zheng, 2014)
Your digital footprint is the trail you leave every time you
go online. Its every phone call, text, tweet, website you visit. It includes
the cookies on your computer, the links you click on Facebook or photos you
like on Instagram. It also includes Apps
you use, Skype calls, and emails you send. It's part of your online history and
can potentially be seen by other people, or tracked in a database. When thinking
about digital footprints, I often find myself thinking about episodes of NCIS
when McGee with just few keystrokes can access anyone’s digital footprint. I also think about how police departments are
now using Facebook to solve crimes. Your
digital footprint paints a picture of who you are. It is not possible to have
no digital footprint; you always leave a trace.
When thinking about my personal digital footprint, I used an
activity from one of my Digital Forensics lesson plans, I “Googled” my name, and I
looked at my web browser activity and Windows cache files. When I Googled my
name I was able to easily link to my Linked In profile but had to scroll
through several pages before I found another profile or link directly related
to myself. In general, I feel I am more concerned
about internet security than the average adult my age. I have setup my computer
to delete my temporary internet files daily, delete cookies and never ask to
save cookies for each site. I have location services shut off on my phone to
reduce geo-referencing. The additional work for me to type in my information
each time is worth it in my mind. I can not, however, control the ads that Facebook posts
that I “may be interested in” based on my internet viewing or the
geo-referencing that sites do based on my home internet connection. So while I
can mitigate some of my digital footprint, I cannot erase all of it.
PEW Internet research indicates 38% of children have used a
tablet or smartphone before the age of 2, and that in 2015 92% of teen reported
they went online daily (Lenhart, 2015) . Based on these
staggering statistics digital citizenship needs to be introduced when students
enter school. Common Sense Media has lesson plans for digital citizenship activities
for students in grades K-12 (Common Sense Media, n.d.) .
The ease at which data is obtained via the internet, ease of
manipulating images and information as well as ever changing rules on fair use
policies make plagiarism, copyright and trademark infringement rampant and
difficult to detect. However, with proper instruction and modeling, our
students will understand the repercussions of their online activities and infringements
on copyrights, etc and will become global digital citizens who ethically and
efficiently monitor and manage their digital footprints.
References
Common Sense Media. (n.d.). Digital Citizenship. Retrieved from Common Sense Media: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/scope-and-sequence
Common Sense Media. (n.d.). Digital Citizenship. Retrieved from Common Sense Media: https://www.commonsensemedia.org/educators/scope-and-sequence
Internet Society Video. (2016, January 12). Four Reasons to Care About Your Digital Footprint. Retrieved from You Tube : https://youtu.be/Ro_LlRg8rGg
Lenhart, A. (2015, April 9). Teens, Social Media & Technology Overview 2015. Retrieved from PEW Research Center : http://www.pewinternet.org/2015/04/09/teens-social-media-technology-2015/
After reading your blog post, I feel like I should be more careful with my digital footprint as well. My husband and my bank account was hacked into recently twice (someone bought a nice vacation to Thailand with our account money) and I do always think that maybe they got our information from me paying every bill online. When I google my name, a lot comes up. More so my maiden name, but my college basketball stats are online, my engagement announcement, links to newspaper articles from high school sports, etc. It is really crazy to think how much the internet "knows" you!
ReplyDeleteSteph,
ReplyDeleteYou make some excellent points about being careful on the internet. I also try to be cautious and "off grid" as much as possible, but in this age it is virtually impossible unless you do not own any technology. Our reputations are on the line when we post things on the internet. Great post!
Lauren
Loved the resources you included in this post. I'd love to see what you do for your "forensics" lesson plan. Sounds like the kind of thing that will really hit home with students!
ReplyDelete