In the digital age, each of us leaves our mark on the internet, especially on social media. Many people share pictures, comments and posts every day on platforms such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. But what happens to this information and how can we control what traces we leave behind?

What traces do we leave on social media?

The first step is to understand what traces we actually leave behind on social media. Every post, every like and every comment is stored on the platforms' servers and can later be seen by other users or companies. Even if we delete posts, they may still be stored in the platforms' servers and may reappear later.

It's not just your own contributions that leave a mark!

But it's not just our own posts that leave traces; our interactions with other users also leave digital footprints . Every click on a like button or every share of a post can be used by the platforms' algorithms to analyze our usage behavior and show us personalized content or advertising.

But how can we control what traces we leave behind?

First, we should be aware of the information we share and the impact it can have . It is advisable to read the platforms' privacy policies and understand what data is collected and how it is used. We should also regularly review and adjust our privacy settings to control who can see what information.

Keep an eye on your activities!

Another important point is to keep an eye on our own activities on social media. We should regularly check which posts we have shared or commented on and delete or edit if necessary . We should also be aware of what content we share with others and what effects this can have.

The most common traces we leave on social media

On social media, you leave a lot of traces that can be recorded by other users and algorithms. Some of the most common traces left on social media are:

  1. Posts: Every post you publish on social media remains online and can be read and commented on by other users.
  2. Likes and comments: Every “like” or comment you make on a post also remains online and can be seen by other users.
  3. Friendships and Followers: The people you are connected to on social media can be tracked in a variety of ways, such as: B. by the number of friends or followers you have.
  4. Search queries: Every search query you perform on social media is captured by the algorithms and can be used to personalize the content displayed.
  5. Clicks and views: Every click on a link or every view of a video or image is recorded by the algorithms and can be used to personalize the content displayed.
  6. Location data: Social media can also collect the user's location if they have set their settings accordingly. This data can then be used to personalize content or display advertising.
  7. Profile information: Every time you update your social media profile, you reveal information about yourself that can be collected by other users and algorithms.

These traces can be used to display personalized content, serve advertisements, or analyze user data. It's important to be aware of the traces you leave behind on social media and how to protect your privacy.

How and where can I check my “social traces” on WhatsApp, YouTube, TikTok, Snapchat, Instagram and Facebook?

As of March 2023

WhatsApp does not offer a special function to check your “social traces”. However, since WhatsApp is a messaging app primarily used for exchanging messages between users, there are a few areas you can check to check your digital footprints on WhatsApp:

  1. Your chat history: You can search your chat history to see who you've communicated with and what types of messages you've exchanged.
  2. Your Profile Information: You can review and change your profile information, including your profile picture, status update, and username.
  3. Your privacy settings: In WhatsApp's privacy settings, you can control who can and cannot see your profile information. You can also control who can see your last seen time and online status information.

To access your WhatsApp privacy settings, go to Settings in the app, tap Account, then tap Privacy. Here you will find various options with which you can adjust your data protection settings and thus control your digital traces on WhatsApp.

To check your “social footprints” on YouTube, you can follow the steps below:

  1. Sign in to your YouTube account.
  2. Click the icon with your profile picture in the top right corner of the home page.
  3. Click History to see which videos you've watched.
  4. Click “My Videos” to see what videos you have uploaded.
  5. Click “Subscriptions” to see which channels you are subscribed to.
  6. Click “Playlists” to see which playlists you have created or which playlists you follow.
  7. Click Search History to see what searches you've made on YouTube.

It's also important to regularly review your YouTube privacy settings to ensure you're only sharing the information you want to share. This way you can control and protect your digital footprints on YouTube. To do this, click on the icon with your profile picture in the upper right corner of the home page and select “YouTube Studio”. There you will find various options to adjust your data protection settings and thus control your digital traces on YouTube.

To check your “social footprints” on TikTok, you can follow the steps below:

  1. Open the TikTok app on your smartphone.
  2. Tap your profile picture in the bottom right corner of the screen to access your profile.
  3. Tap Downloaded Videos to see which videos you've downloaded.
  4. Tap Favorites to see which videos you've marked as favorites.
  5. Tap History to see which videos you've watched.
  6. Tap Likes to see which videos you've liked.
  7. Tap Subscriptions to see which users you're subscribed to.

It's also important to regularly check your privacy settings on TikTok to make sure you're only sharing the information you want to share. This way you can control and protect your digital footprints on TikTok. To do this, tap your profile picture in the bottom right corner of the screen and select “Settings and privacy”. There you will find various options to adjust your privacy settings and thus control your digital traces on TikTok.

To check your “social footprints” on Snapchat, you can follow the steps below:

  1. Open the Snapchat app on your smartphone.
  2. Tap your profile picture in the top left corner of the screen to access your profile.
  3. Tap the gear icon in the top right corner of the screen to access Settings.
  4. Scroll down and tap My Info.
  5. Tap My Activity Log to see what actions you've taken in the app.
  6. Tap My Story Views to see who has viewed your Story.
  7. Tap My Friends to see which users you are friends with.

It's also important to regularly check your privacy settings on Snapchat to make sure you're only sharing the information you want to share. This way you can control and protect your digital footprints on Snapchat. To do this, tap the gear icon in the top right corner of the screen and select “Privacy”. There you will find various options to adjust your privacy settings and thus control your digital traces on Snapchat.

To check your “social footprints” on Instagram, you can follow the steps below:

  1. Open the Instagram app on your smartphone.
  2. Tap your profile picture in the bottom right corner of the screen to access your profile.
  3. Tap the menu icon (three horizontal lines) in the top right corner of the screen.
  4. Select “Settings” at the bottom of the menu.
  5. Select “Security.”
  6. Select “Access Data”.
  7. Here you will find a list of all third-party apps and websites to which you have granted access.
  8. You can change the permissions of each app and website or remove access entirely by tapping each entry and then choosing Remove Access or Edit Permissions.

It's also important to regularly check your privacy settings on Instagram to make sure you're only sharing the information you want to share. This way you can control and protect your digital footprints on Instagram. To do this, tap “Settings” and then “Privacy”. There you will find various options to adjust your data protection settings and thus control your digital traces on Instagram.

To check your “social footprints” on Facebook, you can follow the steps below:

  1. Log in to your Facebook account.
  2. Click the three-dash menu in the top right corner of your homepage.
  3. Click “Settings and Privacy.”
  4. Click “Activity Log.”
  5. Here you can see different types of activities you've done on Facebook, such as posts you've commented on, pages you've liked, and more.
  6. You can also click Search History to see what searches you've conducted on Facebook.
  7. To further reduce your “social footprints,” you can click “Settings,” then “Apps and Websites.” Here you can review and, if necessary, remove apps and websites that you have connected to your Facebook account.

It's also important to regularly check your privacy settings on Facebook to make sure you're only sharing the information you want to share. This way you can control and protect your digital footprints on social media.


Conclusion: Each of us leaves digital traces on social media. To control these traces, we should be aware of what information we share and what impact it can have. We recommend reading the platforms' privacy policies, regularly checking our privacy settings and keeping an eye on our own activities.

Related to the topic:
Traces on the Internet: This is how digital inheritance can be regulated

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Notes:
1) This content reflects the current state of affairs at the time of publication. The reproduction of individual images, screenshots, embeds or video sequences serves to discuss the topic. 2) Individual contributions were created through the use of machine assistance and were carefully checked by the Mimikama editorial team before publication. ( Reason )