# Privacy Footprint
## My identity
Unfortuantely, my 5 seconds of TikTok fame are never going to be erased.
A highly inaccurate acount of information associated with my phone number.

## Browser
What every browser knows about me: My location (Google Geolocation API), my device's software (browser and browser plug-ins), my device's hardware information (including battery information), connection information, social media information (Google and Flikr), click jacking, auto-fill phishing, gyroscope, images, and network scan.

## Google
My search activity

My Location History is turned off, so Google doesn't have information regarding my Timeline in Google Maps.

I frequently go to sporting events, so it is unsurprising that my Google ads are catered to them.

## Social Networks
It is no question that my personal information is plastered all over my social media accounts. Much of this is due to decisions I made at a younger age, constantly oversharing information. While I've deleted much from my account, I recognize this information is never really "deleted".

My (hilariously iconic) era of “TikTok fame” abruptly came to an end after my mother received a mysterious phone call from someone impersonating a Volvo representative, asking for confirmation of my personal information. I drive a Volvo, which I later realized was revealed to by twenty thousand followers after a logo slip occurred in one of my videos. My mother’s name, which was revealed on my Mother’s Day Instagram story (her username was tagged), led to her phone number being discovered online. My hometown was revealed through Instagram’s geolocation feature. And just like that, I panicked. I had way too much personal information online, and I was actively endangering myself and my family. The more data we reveal online, the more likely strangers can learn about us and the more our privacy and security are at risk. Kernighan (2017) says this is due to tracking (cookies, JavaScript, browser fingerprinting), databases (including social networks), data aggregation and cloud computing.

Before understanding the serious effects of data collection, we must first understand how it’s being done. Although we may believe our phones are listening to us (due to the accuracy of targeted ads), the level of data consumption needed for microphone surveillance would make this technique virtually impossible to hide (Haridy, 2019). However, apps are automatically taking screenshots of themselves and sending them to third parties- providing information about where you are, the photos you take, your online shopping habits, and even banking (Haridy, 2019). The more we use our phones, the more vulnerable our data is.

Almost all of the results of searching my name were affiliated with my social networks, specifically LinkedIn, Instagram and TikTok. Social networks share an overwhelming amount of personal information about ourselves, and the scary part is that it goes beyond just the content we share. It goes as deep as what we “like”, our followers, the accounts we follow, and our location (Kernighan, 2017). Just by briefly glancing at my social media networks, one can find information about my boyfriend, that I live in Boston and Long Island, the names of my siblings, where I go to school, my political affiliation, where I’ve worked, my age, and my birthday. As Kernighan says, we create a “voluminous detailed stream” of data as we engage with technology, and social networking sites collect that data to sell and make a profit.

I have taken a major step back in my life on social media and have focused on maintaining better privacy. I truly believe that social media platforms such as TikTok and Instagram should be responsible for setting privacy guidelines for users when uploading content to better protect the privacy of their users. However, this request is somewhat counter-intuitive considering these companies profit over selling our data. There comes a point where we have to ask ourselves, do we value our safety and privacy less than creating the perfect online image?