Chocolate Melts, Data Doesn’t: Digital Footprint & Cyber Safety Tips
Valentine’s Week allows individuals the ability to show their love and affection towards others by posting on social media and sharing memories together. An example of this is sending a private message through digital platforms or sharing photos and locations with your significant other. While emotional expressions may be short-lived, the digital representations of them will be available indefinitely.
Recently, Nepal Police released a message about cyber safety this Valentine’s Day week stating that while chocolate might melt, digital data doesn’t go away. This shows us that we must think twice before we click a link or post our information online. Once we share something digitally we lose control over it.
In this article, I will discuss the importance of digital footprints and how the potential for risk increases for the consumer during Valentine’s Week and what can be done as a regular user to protect your privacy.
Why Valentine’s Week Increases Online Vulnerability
People’s online activity changes during the festive season. Online users often share more personal information, touch base with friends and family more often, and trust strangers more than they do at other times of year. This trend is particularly evident on social media and messaging applications during Valentine’s Week. While the goodwill generated during Valentine’s Week creates opportunities for developing good friendships (or romantic relationships), it also provides opportunities for people to misuse this relationship.
- Here are several common behaviours that increase your online risk during Valentine’s Week:
- Posting more of your personal photos/videos than ever before.
- Posting real-time location(s) and/or check-ins.
- Accepting requests to connect with people you do not know (strangers).
- Clicking on promotional links for gifts and discounts.
- Having private conversations with people you met online.
- Many cybercriminal data are motivated by the emotional side of the human experience during Valentine’s Week. When an individual makes a decision based upon their emotions, as opposed to prudence and/or caution, they increase the likelihood of being victimized by: scams, fraud, and/or having their personal data misused.
Understanding Digital Footprints in Everyday Online Life
Every single online interaction leaves a “data footprint,” also called a “digital footprint,” behind. A combination of many digital footprints forms a digital profile of a person’s behavior and identity over time.
Digital footprints are created by:
• Social network activities (posts/comments/likes)
• Messaging/emailing/sharing files
• Visiting or doing things on websites
• Allowing apps to pay attention to you and/or track you
• Using a device/IP address to determine your location
• Using location or device info for third-party tracking
Even though most individual digital footprints (or data elements) don’t contain sensitive information, they can reveal some person’s habits, behaviors and preferences, and vulnerabilities when combined with other digital footprints. Thus, companies and advertisers value digital footprints, and scammers and other people with malicious intent use them as well.
The Long-Term Risk of Sharing Private Photos and Links
Trusting someone enough to send them a photo or disclose something personal typically feels like a safe thing to do. But digital content functions differently than in-person conversations. Once the content is shared, it can travel well beyond the original intended audience.
- Examples of long-term threats of sharing private content include:
- Information can be saved, copied, or forwarded without the authorization of the owner
- Photos can be used for abuse or extortion
- Personal data can be stored on unknown servers
- Accounts can be hacked via links sent to malicious people
- Long-lasting negative impact to your privacy and reputation
Just because you delete something does not mean that there will not be a screenshot, backup or any other permanent form of that content recorded somewhere. For this reason, being cautious when sending personal information over digital channels is extremely important.
You Might get interested on,
Online Scams That Increase During Festive Seasons
Scammers typically use seasonal themes to create a sense of authenticity in their communications. Valentine’s Week helps scammer’s exploit these emotional feelings.
Some of the most common holiday-related online dangers are:
- Romance scams using deceptive profiles to emotionally manipulate their victims into lines of credit.Fake delivery sites that steal payment information.
- Phishing (fake e-mails) from online retailers and payment processors.
- Sextortion schemes using embarrassing material to extort money.
- Impersonation sites using stolen images to create phony profiles.
Knowing what to look for gives consumers an advantage in designating suspicious activity before it’s too late.
Why Digital Privacy Is a Personal Safety Issue
There are three ways that digital privacy can impact you: emotionally, reputationally, and financially. Losing your ability to control your personal data can have a ripple effect beyond the digital space.
Having poor digital privacy practices can lead to the following negative impacts:
- Psychological harm from stalking and/or being blackmailed
- Financial loss due to scams or identity theft
- Damage to your reputation (personal or professional)
- Being a victim of identity theft or impersonation
- Having personal identifying information (PII) exposed for long amounts of time
Protecting your digital privacy does not stem from fear; rather, it is an act of personal responsibility in our interconnected society.
Everyday Cyber Safety Habits That Make a Real Difference
It doesn’t take any special advanced technical skills to maintain online safety! Just by practicing these simple habits consistently, you can lower your risk of being a victim of cybercrime and help keep your information secure over time.
Some cyber safety tips include:
- Hesitating to click on unknown links
- Not sharing any pictures or videos that contain private information
- Using strong and different passwords for each website
- Setting up two-step verification when possible
- Regularly reviewing your privacy settings on social media
- Being cautious about adding new people to your network
- Keeping your devices and applications current and up to date.
- By developing these habits, you’ll be building up a solid base to support your long-term safety while online.
The Growing Importance of Cyber Awareness
How we communicate, work, and create connections has been influenced by the internet. As digital environments have become integral to our daily lives, we need to be aware of the cybersecurity risks associated with them in order for us to protect ourselves.
Developing an understanding of cybersecurity will allow you, as a user of digital environments, to:
- Recognise potential scams before being victimised
- Understand how companies collect and use your data
- Make informed choices about sharing on social media
- Minimise damage from making mistakes online
Keep your digital identity safe.
Recently, public awareness campaigns such as the one issued by nepal police for Valentine’s Day demonstrate how these types of messages provide timely opportunity to reflect upon how we behave online, and improve our understanding of privacy issues.
Conclusion: Celebrate With Awareness, Not Regret
Valentine’s Week is about being connected, trusting your partner, and sharing your experiences with each other. Sharing online can have longer lasting effects than sharing with someone in person. Chocolates may melt but our digital footprints will last forever.
Before you share an image, click on a link, or trust a new connection, take a moment to think about whether you want to risk long-term regret. Online safety is not about avoiding others; it’s about connecting wisely.
Part of self-care today includes protecting our digital footprint and the things that we put into the world. While you take part in celebrating your love, remember to celebrate your online safety as well. ❤️🔐
Disclaimer: This article references a public cyber awareness message shared by Nepal Police. We are an independent content and digital media company and are not affiliated with or representing Nepal Police. .
