Cleaning Up Digital Privacy Never Ends

Personal information spreads farther and wider than most people realize

Photo by Petter Lagson on Unsplash

Reclaiming digital privacy can feel overwhelming — even scary — but it is not impossible. Taking the first steps now can offer a surprising sense of relief.

Those active online can easily lose track of just how much of themselves they have scattered across the internet. Old social media posts, forgotten accounts, browser histories and location data quietly pile up over the years.

Social media power users build a digital footprint far bigger — and more revealing — than they ever intended. Those who have ever felt a twinge of unease wondering who has access to what should know they are not alone.

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Of course, that might be small comfort.

“Have you ever had a private conversation with someone who mentioned a product and then, a short time later, that same product appeared as an ad on your social media?” asked Carol Stephen, a social media manager.

“This happened to me,” she said. “My friend jokingly mentioned some little signs that display a warning about cat barf. Guess who got ads about those signs soon after…