A size and impact analysis of digital footprints. (15th December 2020)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Teng, Chia-Chi; Maxwell, Whitney
• Is Part Of: International journal of business and systems research. Volume 15:Number 2(2021)
• Page Start: 163
• Page End: 181
• Publication Date: 2020-12-15
• Subjects: technology -- information security -- personal information -- information privacy -- open source intelligence -- OSINT; Management information systems -- Periodicals; Business -- Data processing -- Periodicals; 658.4038011
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1751-200X

Abstract

Personal information accessible online can be known as a digital footprint. While most of us have a digital footprint in today's technological society, few if any, know what it encapsulates or how to manage it. Technology and personal information are becoming more intertwined as we become more dependent on technology with everyday activities. In addition to basic information such as names, addresses, and phone numbers; personal information also includes one's demographic, interests and shopping history which is used by businesses to track consumers spending and even predict future purchases. With such wide variety of personal information being captured and exposed online, not all are equally valuable or personally unique. This study proposes methods to identify the content, size and impact of an individual's digital footprint by measuring the discoverability of various types of personal information.