Digital footprint

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 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 analyzed 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 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 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.