Lose
what
you
don’t
use
and
other
easy
ways
to
limit
your
digital
footprint
and
strengthen
your
online
privacy
and
security
In
case
you
missed
it,
last
week
was
Data
Privacy
Week,
an
awareness
campaign
to
remind
everybody
that
any
of
our
online
activities
creates
a
trail
of
data
and
that,
therefore,
we
need
to
better
manage
our
personal
information
online.
And
for
good
reason.
Increasingly,
we
live
our
lives
in
the
digital
world.
That
means:
logging
on
to
social
media
platforms
to
socialize
with
friends;
communicating
via
email,
using
search
engines,
messaging
and
video
conferencing
tools;
and
consuming
content
via
streaming
services.
But
every
organization
you
interact
with
wants
a
piece
of
you.
They
request
information
like
logins,
contact
details,
location
and
even
browsing
history
to
keep
your
accounts
secure,
deliver
more
personalized
experiences
and
monetize
their
relationship
with
you.
A
smart
move
would
be
to
limit
the
volume
of
information
you
share
with
these
organizations,
and
publish
online,
to
mitigate
any
resulting
security
and
privacy
risks.
The
problem
with
overdoing
it
The
more
sites
and
apps
you
share
personal
and
account
information
with,
the
more
chance
your
details
may
end
up
getting
breached
–
if
one
of
those
companies
is
compromised,
or
you’re
targeted
directly
by
hackers.
There’s
also
a
greater
chance
that
your
browsing
and
other
information
will
be
shared
with
third
party
advertisers
and
others.
And,
of
course,
if
you’re
publishing
content
on
social
media,
you
may
be
inviting
the
entire
world
in
to
observe
the
minutiae
of
your
daily
life.
This
doesn’t
just
put
your
own
personal
security
and
privacy
at
risk.
If
you’re
using
a
work
device
or
unwittingly
sharing
corporate
information,
it
may
well
also
be
a
threat
to
your
employer
–
raising
the
stakes
even
higher.
Even
something
pretty
innocuous
like
the
name
of
a
pet
animal
or
details
of
your
current
role
could
be
used
by
hackers
to
try
and
crack
open
online
accounts,
and/or
customize
phishing
attacks
to
elicit
even
more
sensitive
information.
Restricting
what
you
publish
and
share
online
makes
sense
in
a
digital
world
increasingly
populated
by
cyber-thieves
and
shady
data
brokers.
But
with
so
much
information
spread
across
potentially
so
many
websites,
accounts
and
devices,
it
can
be
tough
knowing
where
to
start.
Here’s
our
top
10
steps
to
kick
things
off:
10
ways
to
limit
your
digital
footprint
-
Download
fewer
apps
Mobile
applications
often
require
users
to
input
a
significant
amount
of
personal
and/or
financial
information
to
work
as
intended.
They
may
also
track
location,
browsing
activity
and
other
info
that
is
then
shared
with
third
parties.
It
stands
to
reason
that
the
fewer
apps
you’ve
signed
up
to,
the
less
exposed
your
information
will
be.
Your
default
impulse
should
not
be
to
download
first
and
ask
questions
later,
but
the
opposite.
Do
your
research
before
deciding
if
it’s
something
that
you
genuinely
need.
It
then
goes
without
saying
that
you
should
regularly
“spring
clean”
your
devices
to
remove
any
apps
which
have
not
been
used
in
a
while.
While
you’re
at
it,
check
the
permissions
for
the
apps
you
decide
to
keep.
-
Set
up
fewer
online
accounts
and
cleanse
existing
ones
Companies
don’t
just
want
your
custom.
They
want
your
loyalty.
That’s
why
many
will
push
you
towards
setting
up
accounts
and
sharing
monetizable
information
that
way.
It
could
be
anything
from
an
e-commerce
store
to
a
media
site.
Resist
the
urge
to
do
so,
even
if
it
means
payment
and
other
details
won’t
be
saved
next
time
you
visit.
A
little
inconvenience
is
often
the
price
we
pay
for
greater
privacy
and
security.
If
over
the
years
you’ve
set
up
online
accounts
you
don’t
really
need
and
use
anymore,
shut
them
down.
-
Take
extra
care
not
to
share
sensitive
data
Sometimes
sharing
info
is
inevitable
to
get
the
goods
or
services
you
want.
But
be
mindful
of
what
you’re
handing
over.
Unless
strictly
necessary,
don’t
share
things
like
phone
numbers,
email
and
home
addresses,
financial
details
and
social
security
numbers,
which
are
in
high
demand
on
the
cybercrime
underground.
Emails
and
phone
numbers
can
be
used
to
spam
recipients
with
phishing
messages,
for
example.
Use
guest
accounts
when
buying
online
to
further
reduce
risk.
-
Think
twice
before
sharing
on
social
media
Social
media
is
like
a
digital
megaphone.
For
many
of
us,
the
content
we
share
will
be
liked,
reshared
and
made
virtually
impossible
to
remove
or
retract
once
out
in
the
digital
domain.
So
it’s
important
to
first
consider
how
that
content
may
be
received
by
others,
and
prospective
employers.
And
whether
it
contains
any
sensitive
information
in
it
about
your
work
and
personal
life.
Also
consider
limiting
your
profile
to
online
your
friends/contacts,
and
not
adding
anyone
you
don’t
know
in
real
life.
Review
privacy
preferences
and
be
mindful
that
any
unsolicited
contact
may
be
fraudulent.
-
Exercise
your
right
to
erasure
For
people
in
some
parts
of
the
world,
including
the
European
Union,
regulators
have
created
new
ways
for
data
subjects
to
have
information
they
don’t
like
scrubbed
from
certain
online
locations.
This
so-called
“right
to
erasure”
was
pioneered
by
the
EU’s
GDPR.
Search
online
for
your
name
to
see
what’s
out
there
and
contact
website
owners
direct
to
request
removal.
Then
contact
search
engines
like
Google
to
do
the
same.
-
Keep
your
location
a
secret
One
of
the
most
intrusive
forms
of
data
capture
is
that
which
tracks
your
location.
From
it,
third
parties
can
piece
together
a
highly
accurate
picture
of
your
daily
movements
and
habits.
That
doesn’t
just
put
your
digital
privacy
at
risk,
it
can
also
imperil
physical
safety.
Be
sure
to
stop
apps
from
tracking
your
location.
-
Don’t
fill
out
online
surveys
The
internet
is
awash
with
competitions
and
prize
offers,
often
in
return
for
completing
online
surveys
or
similar.
Some
are
thinly
veiled
marketing
campaigns
to
build
up
contact
lists.
Others
may
be
downright
criminal
efforts
designed
to
steal
your
personal
information
for
use
in
phishing
campaigns
and/or
to
sell
on
the
dark
web.
-
Be
ruthless
with
newsletters
Online
brands
are
big
into
digital
newsletters.
They
believe
it
enables
them
to
communicate
directly
with
their
customers,
and
deliver
them
personalized
content
and
promotions.
But
for
many
of
us,
online
newsletters
do
nothing
more
than
clog
up
our
inbox.
Resist
the
urge
to
sign
up.
Alternatively,
use
a
dedicated
email
address
for
these
purposes
or
a
throwaway
email
account,
especially
if
you’re
signing
up
for
something
you’re
only
planning
to
use
once.
-
Disable
third-party
cookies
Cookies
are
tiny
files
downloaded
to
your
PC
or
device
when
visiting
a
website.
They’re
used
by
the
site
owners
to
profile
who
is
visiting
their
site
and
to
save
preferences
for
future
visits.
While
this
may
make
the
browsing
experience
better,
many
of
us
would
prefer
that
we
didn’t
share
this
type
of
information,
which
could
include
usernames
and
passwords.
If
presented
with
the
choice
on
visiting
a
website,
simply
refuse
to
accept
cookies.
You
can
also
disable
third-party
tracking
by
going
to
your
browser’s
privacy
settings.
-
Limit
the
number
of
devices
you
use
Finally,
consider
how
many
devices
and
PCs
you
have
in
active
use.
Each
one
of
them
is
a
potential
treasure
trove
of
data
which
could
be
exposed
if
the
device
is
lost
or
stolen.
Do
you
really
need
to
buy
that
new
tablet?
If
the
answer
is
still
“yes,”
do
you
need
to
sync
all
of
your
personal
data
to
it?
Keep
it
up
Data
minimization
is
an
industry
best
practice
for
the
organizations
we
interact
with
on
a
daily
basis,
helping
to
reduce
their
regulatory
risk
exposure.
With
caveats,
it
could
also
be
a
best
practice
for
data
subjects
themselves
–
to
enhance
our
security
and
privacy
as
we
navigate
the
treacherous
waters
of
the
internet.
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