It seems that my previous edition of this post received positive responses, which is very encouraging. So I decided to create another edition of resources gathered to better understand your digital footprint. Without further ado, here’s what I collected.
PrivacyTests.org - The browser you use is an important aspect of your online privacy. Privacytests.org is a site that does open-source testing of web browsers to see which ones are best for privacy. They do testing on desktop and mobile browsers, so they have you covered on all fronts. As you will see, they do a lot of tests to ensure that each browser is up to standard. What's cool about this site is that they explain what each test is for and give you additional information about each feature that is being tested, so you can be better informed. This is a great resource, as you simply need to go to the site, see the latest results of their tests, and you can even learn about new browsers to download (that's how I found out about the Mullvad browser).
JustDeleteMe - Deleting accounts that you no longer use or wish to use is important to control your digital footprint. JustDeleteMe is an open source online directory that contains direct links on how to delete your accounts from tons of web services. What's great about this resource is that they color code each service listed in terms of difficulty: green (easy), yellow (medium), red (difficult), purple (needing to be in a location that respects privacy rights), and black (cannot be deleted). They have a Chrome and Firefox extension that can make it easier to delete accounts.
The contributors have other directories as well. Just Get My Data tells you how to obtain your data and Just What's The Data tells you how much data each service is collecting from you.
Malawarebytes Digital Footprint Scan - From the creators of the anti-malware software, Malawarebytes Digital Footprint Scan is simply that: it scans your footprint. All you have to do is enter your email, and it will give you the results and advice on what to do next. It's a straightforward way to know your footprint, and it's free. Just make sure you read over the terms & services, and privacy policy.
Internet Society Digital Footprint Course - Created by the Internet Society, a global charitable organization with the aim of keeping the internet open, connected, and trustworthy, their digital footprint course is free, and anyone can enroll in it. The course will teach you what your footprint is, what the implications of it are, and how to better manage it. The course is about 20 hours long, and it seems like you need to create an account to access the course.
Redact - Social media is one of the biggest ways to contribute to your footprint. If you are looking to clean up your social media presence, you should take a look at Redact. Redact allows you to mass delete posts and comments from many social media services, such as Twitter, LinkedIn, Reddit, and Discord, and they are adding many more in the future. It is free, but to get the most out of this service, you will have to purchase the premium plan, so keep that in mind if you are interested in using it.
Make sure you share this post with others so they can be aware of the tools to control their footprints. If you know of any other resources, please leave them in the comments.
Until Next Time,
Monique 🔎
To see both the previous edition of this post and
monthly personal privacy news roundup, which it was featured in, check them out below.