My Digital Footprint
When I was first discovering the internet I Googled myself just for fun. At the time, I only had an Instagram account that was closely monitored by my mom, so the only things that came up that were actually me in my Google search were a few selfies I had posted. Nothing too special. Today when I Google myself, all of my social media accounts pop up, including Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and Linked In. I also saw some more recent photos of myself that I’ve posted. This was interesting to me because I saw my Digital Footprint grow. I believe that having a Digital Footprint is important for potential employers to get a sense of who they might have in their workplace. A Digital Footprint can tell a person enough basic information to help them decide whether or not to give said person a chance. At the same time, I don’t think a Google search should be used as a first impression. You can find a lot out about a person from the internet, but to really get to know a person, you should meet them face-to-face.
What is and what isn’t being shared by the apps on my iPhone?
After I downloaded the My Permissions app that was linked under Thing 4, I was shocked by what I found. I logged in using my Facebook account and as soon as the app was finished setting up, the app told me that I had sixteen apps that were threatening my privacy. The threatening apps were split up into five different categories based on what exact permissions I gave them in the past: act on your behalf, access your pictures and files, access your inbox and contacts, use your location, and require basic permissions. Of the sixteen, none were acting on my behalf, one had access to my pictures and files, fourteen had access to my inbox and contacts, one was using my location, and one required basic permissions. What shocked me was that the app told me that the apps that I had downloaded and had already been given permission to do the things it needed to do in order to be compatible with my iPhone were “threatening” to my privacy. After analyzing all of the threatening apps, I noticed that I gave permission as I saw fit, and did not see any point in changing the permissions on these apps.