Digital footprints What are digital footprints and how does it affect an online reputation We have all heard of the term “digital footprints” but do we really understand what they mean? It is important that parents and carers do understand what these are so that they can in turn educate their children and help them to know what risks they might be placing themselves in when sharing information online, or just looking innocently at websites. Whatever we are doing on the internet we can leave a trail of information behind us which people can use to determine what we might be interested in buying, or for other less savoury purposes such as trying to hack into our online accounts and trying to access passwords etc. So what is a digital footprint? A digital footprint is data that is left behind when users have been online. There are two types of digital footprints which are passive and active. A passive footprint is made when information is collected from the user without the person knowing this is happening. An active digital footprint is where the user has deliberately shared information about themselves either by using social media sites or by using websites. An example of a passive digital footprint would be where a user has been online and information has been stored on an online database. This can include where they came from, when the footprint was created and a user IP address. A footprint can also be analysed offline and can be stored in files which an administrator can access. These would include information on what that machine might have been used for, but not who had performed the actions. An example of an active digital footprint is where a user might have logged into a site when editing or making comments such as on an online forum or a social media site. The registered name or profile can be linked to the posts that have been made and it is surprisingly easy to find out a lot about a person from the trails you leave behind. Web browsing and digital footprints The digital footprint we leave after browsing websites is called the internet footprint. These are commonly called “cookies” and most websites will ask you to accept the use of cookies before you can access the site, without actually knowing what this means. If we inadvertently leave a lot of information about ourselves behind it could be passively or actively collected by other people just by using a simple search engine. It is becoming more and more common for employers to “cyber vet” prospective employees based on their online activities. Digital footprints can also be used by the police to gather information about individuals to help them with their enquiries. Social networking sites can also give a very good idea of an individual’s life. These sites can allow digital tracing data which can include what social groups they belong to, their interests, location etc. This data can be gathered and analysed without the users being aware that this is happening. A lot of employers will also use social media to vet prospective employees so it is important that you are mindful as to what you post on any such sites. Of course there is no limit as to how far you can go back in time on social media sites and once something is posted, there is no way of removing it completely. Others might have commented or shared your posts and this in turn will create their own digital footprint. This is something that needs to be discussed with your children and teenagers so they can be educated and are aware what might happen to that information. So how much privacy do we really have? Digital footprints including the meta data and content does impact on security, privacy and trust. As the internet becomes bigger and bigger it is becoming increasingly important to think about what might happen to the ownership of the photos that you own and content that you write. Remember that what goes on the internet normally stays there even if you do delete posts there will be a trail of data that you have left behind. Talking to your child or teen Have a chat with them when you know they are using social media sites, or on the internet. Let them know what is expected of them and what is a “no go”. Explain the dangers of posting content that you feel might be inappropriate or controversial and the trail that can be left behind. Ensure that they know the dangers of posting content and personal details including pictures. Encourage them not to divulge any personal details such as age, address or contact details to anyone online. If they feel they might have put themselves in danger, or feel in danger remember to reassure them that you are always there to support them. Many people want to share the fact that they are going on holiday and how long they are going for – think about the impact and danger this could be placing your family in. It is a criminal offence to use the internet to threaten or harass people. We hope that this has helped you understand a little more about digital footprints. We have tried to make it as simple as possible so feel free to share this with friends and family who might feel a little confused about this topic. #RBCG

The greatest barrier to extending internet use in Malawi, and indeed in most African countries, is the cost of data. In Malawi one gigabyte of data on mobile networks is good to surf the internet freely download ,stream – the only means of accessing the internet for most This means that for millions of people in the country data is a luxury…. So when mobile operators start giving some of this valuable commodity for free it warrants attention. ..the country’s mobile services provider airtel and TNM started offering some services such as Facebook and Wikipedia for free without paying for the data. In the telecoms industry this is called zero-rating. Getting something for free is generally a good thing –And some of the proponents of zero-rating see it as a way of addressing the high data costs for the poor. Net neutrality versus free services...airTEL free internet services package is the result of a global initiative launched in 2013 by Mark Z, the CEO of Facebook, which aims to connect “the next five billion . Free-as-in-beer is not the same as free-as-in-freedom. Affordability is still the major issue facing the internet in Malawi and other African countries. But the freedoms of the internet – its diversity, plurality and openness – matter also.

You are a product to dragnet surveillance capitalists like Google, Facebook, Comcast and Verizon. Your ideas are rarely your own, rather you are little more than a pawn to their perception steering initiatives to get you to read, believe and buy what they put in front of you. The first step to breaking out of this faux reality matrix is to stop using Google, Bing, Yahoo, Comcast and Facebook.” ― James Scott, Senior Fellow, Institute for Critical Infrastructure Technology

Your ideas are bound to forces of which you have no control due to the fact that you've voluntarily submitted your freedom of though to the perception steering censorship of Google, Facebook and other dragnet surveillance capitalists

Digital Revolution

How to Tell If Someone Has Blocked You From Their Facebook Wall ... Check Whether Someone Blocked You. Step. Enter your former friend's name in the Facebook search bar and check whether you can find her profile. Alternatively, if you know her username, go to her profile page by visiting https://www.facebook.com/X, replacing X with the contact's username.

Cheating is a sin even though it’s not punishable by law but a quick advice to my not-yet married nor engaged brothers and sisters, it is better you don’t spy on your boyfriend or girlfriend whatsapp chat messages so that you do not experience heart attack or high blood pleasure lol. All the best!

Mspy is actually very simple and a more effective solution to spy on someone using WhatsApp. Mspy is one of the leading companies that are now selling spy software and apps for Androids, iPhone, and Windows phone. This software will let you monitor all activity on the victim’s smartphone or tablet without them knowing which is a decent idea for someone to play detective and spy on others. You will be able to see everything that has been sent and received from that person’s phone such as their phone calls, text messages, voicemail, browsing history, and multimedia content that has been sent or received and many more things. The application also offers the chance to get the real time map position by using built-in GPS system of the phones victim meaning you can see their exact location at all times. The Mspy application is easy to download and install. Even if you are not tech savvy you will still be able to run this program that is how simple it is. Considering the excellent design and all that Mspy can do with its select features you would expect to have to pay more for Mspy but actually, the cost of Mspy is really inexpensive. The MSPY application has proved to be very effective and the customer support that others have actually received has also received high marks from users. On iOS devices, the software does not have to be jailbroken.

Would you like to spy on your boyfriend or girlfriend’s WhatsApp messages? Do you want to find out if someone else is spying on you? Here is a complete guide to spy on WhatsApp messages and how to protect against spying attempts.

Facebook’s recent major changes to how it operates News Feed, which are intended to prioritize showing posts from users’ friends and family, will harm small businesses. small businesses and companies that rely on Facebook’s algorithm to raise awareness for their brand won’t be getting the same exposure.

How do I stop people from tagging you in photos? Go to Settings > Click " Timeline and Tagging Settings" > Edit " Who can add things to my timeline? " section : " Review posts that friends tag you in before they appear on your Timeline?" make " Enabled "