Like footprints along the seashore, your engagement on the World Wide Web leaves a trail.
Your online activities can be monitored.
Tracking and tracing are the primary digital footprint monitoring techniques.
And while they are often used interchangeably, they possess subtle differences that set them apart.
What Is Tracking?
Tracking is the observance of your path on the web.
It includes webpages you punch and your general online movements.
Usually, websites study users preferences to tailor ads and prompts to each users needs and likes.
This fosters engaging online experiences.
Who Does Tracking Benefit?
Web tracking also helps detect crime, cyber fraud,and phishing attacksearly.
However, shaking off the eerie feeling of being watched can be hard.
There is also a risk of a nefarious third party gaining access to thedata gathered by cookiesor web beacons.
So while tracking has benefits, it also has its fair share of drawbacks.
What Does Tracing Mean?
Tracing involves the identification of the source of an attack or invasion.
Think of it as a detectives steps in a mystery novel to find “whodunnit”.
It involves going through system logs orIntrusion Detection Systems(IDS) to trace the intruders movements.
Using tracing, one could even find out how a system was breached.
Tracing is a surefire way to prevent repeat infiltrations.
This helps protect user data and prevent alteration or theft of a systems resources.
Does Tracing Benefit or Harm?
Tracing could be beneficial to website owners and even marketers.
It can help law enforcement and recently-attacked establishments to determine a cyber perps attack method.
This can inadvertently harm users and cause a site to lose its credibility.
While tracing is not evil in itself, it can be bad if wielded with malicious intent.
Comparison of Tracking and Tracing
Tracking and tracing are similar-sounding terms with similar spelling.
As a result, many internet users easily get confused by these twin terms.
So heres a thorough comparison of the two concepts.
Are Tracking and Tracing the Same?
Tracking is not the same as tracing.
However, they share a few similarities.
What Are the Differences Between Tracking and Tracing?
Although similar, tracking and tracing are quite distinct.
Both are indispensable in cybersecurity, but their applications are diverse.
While tracking focuses on gathering real-time data, tracing is an investigative and preventive measureafter a data breach.
Tracing follows the digital trail of an intruder to prevent similar attacks from happening again.
Meanwhile, tracking prevents attacks by recording patterns indicating impending fraudulent or malicious activity.
And both methods certainly have their placeone cannot replace the other.
Understanding the difference between these two concepts is vital to ensure privacy and online security.
