It can’t be denied that Filipinos dominate the Digital world. From Social Networking Sites (SNS) to virtual firms, Filipinos top the most number of people active online.
In this year’s Global Digital report suite gathered by the media company, We Are Social and a social media management platform, Hootsuite, there were more than 67 million Filipino active internet users. It’s about 63% or more than half of the country’s population.
Also, Filipinos still holds the crown for users who spend more time on social media site spending approximately 4 hours online. Who won’t? With the advent of new technologies like smartphones and with the continuous efforts of telecommunication companies to boost up the ever sluggish internet speed of the country, more and more Filipinos are able to connect online.
However, with our increasing presence online, we are becoming the main subject of cyber abuse. One big reason is that most of the Filipinos has a little knowledge about cyber security and the mess we are leaving behind, our digital footprint.
Digital Footprint Stays Forever
Digital Footprint, as defined in InternetSociety.Org, is all the stuff you leave behind as you use the Internet. Comments on social media, Skype calls, app use and email records. They’re part of your online history and can potentially be seen by other people, or tracked in a database.
Basically, it’s everything you’ve inputted online saved in a public database.
How do we leave our mess online?
First, Social Media. As it becomes part of our daily routines, Social Media has become our main tool to register our digital footprints. Every post you drop on Facebook, photos you share on Instagram or even your 280-word limit tweet on Twitter, social networking system can record everything you do on social media. Thus, the more time you spend on social media, the larger your digital footprint will be.
Also, there are some websites, especially online shopping sites or product review pages that leaves cookies on your system.
Cookies are messages given to a Web browser by a Web server. The browser stores the message in a text file. The message is then sent back to the server each time the browser requests a page from the server (Webopedia.com).
These cookies can track your activities online when you visit different websites. This can result to targeted advertisement. Most often, you’ll be shown products or services you recently read or viewed online.
Your smartphones, tablets and laptops too can be used by some websites to track your online activities and the routines you’ve been doing online.
What To Do Next?
Here are the some steps you might want to do to #makeITsafePH.
Delete Inactive Accounts and Update Privacy Settings
You should have a list of your social media accounts and have its privacy setting check regularly. It is recommended that you restrict public to view your personal information. Limit it only to people you know and you trust. Also, delete your inactive accounts as this might still contain important information that can be used by data diggers. Clearing cache or deleting browser history can also help.
Make Use of Online Security Apps
Keep yourself guarded from cyber threats. You can make use of security apps that are available for download. Disconnect is an award winning security app that guards users from online trackers and hackers. It features tracker visualization that can track the activities of your online information.It also features internet encryption, secure connection, and online threat protections. It can also mask your IP address to prevent trackers and hackers from associating your personal information with your internet activities.
Ghostery.com can also monitor who’s tracking you online. Meanwhile, Abine.com can help you manage and protect your online identity.
Think Before You Click, Be Responsible!
Consider your personal privacy before clicking that “Share” or “Post” button. Always ask yourself if what you’re posting won’t affect your personal life and your security or can’t be used against you. You have to responsible in inputting personal information on any platforms online. If it’s not necessary to share such info then don’t.
Also, limit your time online. It’s nice to be updated with the trend but it’s not necessary that every second of every day, you’re are always online. How ’bout spend your extra time doing some locomotive work or extracurricular activities. It doesn’t just help boost your health, it also keeps you away from potential threat online.
We are living online, but have yet to fully realize the implications of doing so… One of those implications is that our tracks through the digital and are eternal.
– John Battelle
Let yourself be educated about online threats and youcan do to avoid becoming a victim. Join Globe Telecom’s #makeITsafePH cybersecurity and cyberwellness campaign and learn the easiest way to protect yourself from cyber threats and also learn the proper online etiquette so that you would not become a source of such deplorable behavior.
Find some informative reads by searching #makeITsafePh online. You can also share your thoughts online. Just put the #makeITsafePh and let your voice be heard.