Abstract

The digital economy of 21st century society has confronted humanity with a civilization in which communication and the transmission of information is mediated through the utilization of technological devices. Consequently, subjects who make use of the world wide web, in mobile devices and on their computers, leave their digital footprint and with it a data trail with the information shared, the searches done, the emails sent, and the downloaded applications on their gadgets, mainly. It is for these reasons that this research is based on an in-depth exploration of the possible impact that this footprint would produce in high context cultures and high uncertainty avoidance. Consequently, the juxtaposition between Edward T. Halls (high context) and Geert Hofstedes (high uncertainty control) classification of cultures will be characterized. Likewise, the main regulations that seek to protect the data of Costa Ricans and foreigners living in the country will be presented. Finally, it reflects on the control that state institutions must exercise, within the rule of law, to guarantee the protection of individuals private data. Furthermore, focusing on the fact that along with technological advances there must be educational models to allow the individuals to know about the possible use of their data by third parties.

Keywords: World wide web; culture; digital footprint; data