Digital Footprints: What Can be Learned from the Traces We Leave on Social Networks

Published: Nov. 1, 2018, 2:45 p.m.

In this first webcast in a two-part series, April Galyardt and Carson Sestili described what metadata is and what information can be gleaned from it.

Social networks have become part of our daily lives. We browse, share, “like,” and generally communicate with friends using these tools every day. In the midst of all this, we rarely stop to consider how much information about ourselves we are freely handing over to the social network companies. This information, called “metadata,” contains an incredibly rich—and often frighteningly detailed—view of some of the most personal aspects of our lives.
 
In this first webcast in a two-part series, we described what metadata is and what information can be gleaned from it.

Specifically, we discussed:

• How metadata gets generated
• How it can be used to uncover extensive personal information
• Steps you can take to protect your privacy