The Internet is the backbone of the knowledge society we are living in. There is just no doubt about it. With only a few clicks we can communicate, entertain ourselves, do business, research and learn about absolutely everything, all in an infinite virtual space. The point is, though, because nothing in life is free, to access its multiple benefits we must pay a high price. The fact is that we have not only a personal log but also a virtual one, which we create from our first click to our last click, as we range across the Web.
All our behavior on the Internet leaves traces that are impossible to erase, and these are what comprise our famous so-called “digital fingerprint.” This is our virtual trail that shapes our profile, often without us realizing what we are revealing about ourselves in terms of tastes, interests and needs; all of which can make us an easy or unsuspecting target for different purposes.
This is why many people have called data the “oil of the 21st century.” “It is important to be aware of the information that we leave on the Internet, because computer systems use it to establish patterns and create algorithms that have an amazing ability to predict,” explains Rosa Damiani, deputy manager at the VTR Foundation, an institution that has been raising awareness about the importance of the digital fingerprint for years.
What makes up our digital fingerprint? “The digital fingerprint comprises absolutely all the data that comes from our individual interactions on the Internet. For example, when we download an app, like a photo on a social network, send an email, listen to music on YouTube or Spotify or do a bank transaction, we leave a permanent record in our digital resume,” Damiani explains.
The traces we leave on the Internet include different types of relevant information such as our age, sexual orientation, musical tastes, political preferences, our entertainment preferences, and what our social or even work life is like, among much other information. But it is also made up of what others post about us, for example, the photos that family or friends upload to the Web. “From this point of view, it is very important to be aware of how our actions can also impact the lives of others,” Damiani stresses.
The new oil. Today, as much of our lives are spent digitally, it is important to be aware of what kind of data we are spreading around the Web. “For example, as early as 2012 a professor of organizational behavior at Stanford University demonstrated that using only 68 Facebook likes it was possible to predict a person’s color with 95% accuracy; their sexual orientation with 88% accuracy, and their political orientation with 85% accuracy, plus it was possible to infer their level of intelligence, whether they were drug or alcohol users, their religious beliefs and even whether or not their parents were separated,” according to the VTR Foundation.
Our digital fingerprint can be active or passive. The former is information that we voluntarily share on the Web. The latter is data that can be traced from mailing lists, browsing histories or security camera images. We even leave digital fingerprints when we are offline, including from our cell phone location or our credit card purchases.
“Some scammers use available and seemingly harmless data by monitoring our every move online, usually on social networks, to end up exploiting our digital fingerprint,” explains an article in the Spanish newspaper ABC.
The privacy of our data: Since 1999 Chile has had framework law No. 19.628 on the Protection of Private Life that protects the privacy of personal information and regulates its processing, but this law naturally does not respond to the needs of today’s world. “It is urgent that we modernize this legislation in order to ensure effective protection of data and the rights of individuals, while allowing the free flow of information,” said Senator Pedro Araya, a member of the Congressional Constitution Committee in early April, as reported in the Senate newsletter.
The VTR Foundation stresses the importance of safeguarding personal data and is very concerned about the rise of cyber-crime in Chile, which ranges from harassment of minors, theft of information by means of false links, fraudulent offers, or the creation of fake Wi-Fi networks in public places. “In this context, we are very optimistic about the progress being made on the bill currently in the Chamber of Deputies that regulates the treatment and protection of personal data. But as important as having legislation that protects our data is, we also need to develop educational programs that enable people to identify and manage their main cyber risks, and that is what we are focused on,” says Damiani.
Right to be forgotten. There are companies around the world working on how to eliminate digital fingerprints. According to the Colombian magazine Semana, “three young Israelis who served in military cybernetic units have discovered how to locate digital fingerprints and found tools to erase them.” Their company is called Mine and was founded by Gal Ringel, Gal Golan and Kobi Nissan. They maintain that they have used artificial intelligence (AI) to show users where their information is stored, such as, for example, when an online shoe store saves data about the entire transaction after someone buys sneakers. Ringel noted that Mine’s technology has been used by one million people worldwide, and that there are more than 10 million “right to be forgotten” requests that have been submitted to the company’s platform, as reported in Semana.
How to manage the digital fingerprint. The VTR Foundation has focused on children, teenagers and senior citizens with an awareness plan that includes educational content designed to promote digital intelligence.
But what is digital intelligence and how is it linked to digital fingerprints? Digital intelligence involves social and self-care skills that allow us to relate healthily and safely in a hyperconnected and virtual world. This includes digital fingerprint awareness training to teach people how to manage their digital fingerprints.
Some simple measures to ensure safe digital habits include not publishing pictures of one’s children, especially those where they are in uniforms because that also provides information about schools and its locations. Other measures are to use strong passwords and change them constantly; investigate what Google says about us; delete accounts we do not use; download only official applications and only from official sites; review privacy settings; review and allow the use of cameras, microphone and data in cell phone apps only when they are used; read the privacy policies of the sites you access and avoid accessing them through your email or social network accounts.
Particularly on Facebook, do not allow yourself to be automatically tagged, do not report your date and place of birth, and do not upload photographs of identity documents. In addition, Google Chrome allows you to browse privately using a feature called “incognito browsing.”
