data shadow

A data shadow, or digital footprint, is a sensitive set of data that individuals leave behind during their daily activities.

A data shadow can include all activities: Emails as well as entries in social networks, telephone contacts, authentications, surfing the net, activities in online stores and purchases with credit cards, tracking driving routes, video surveillance or downloading programs. Such a data shadow follows us in all areas of life.

The data shadow problem affects the activities of every single person and is extremely difficult to control, because you don't know who is looking at the data shadow and what conclusions they draw from it. The number of data files and their data volumes are growing rapidly and are stored for the long term and made available for marketing purposes.