Over the past two years, the DigiCity blog series explored many different aspects of the digital world such as: deepfakes, cookies and pixel tracking, OSINT investigations, digital footprints, metadata, fake news, AI-generated content, and digital forensics. Each blog addressed one piece of a much bigger picture –  digital citizenship.

As the DigiCity project officially comes to an end, this final blog summarises the key lessons and offers practical tools and recommendations that young people can use to protect themselves, verify information, and think critically online.

1. Know Your Digital Footprint

Every action online creates data traces – from social media posts to uploaded images and documents. These traces form your digital footprint and may include hidden information called metadata, such as time, device, or location.

Understanding this helps young people think more carefully about what they share online.

Useful tools for exploring metadata and digital traces include:

• ExifTool – a widely used open-source tool for reading and analyzing metadata in images, videos, and documents.
• Forensically (29a.ch) – a browser-based toolset for image analysis and digital forensic inspection.
• FotoForensics – provides error-level analysis that can reveal potential image manipulation.

Practical tip: before sharing photos publicly, check whether they contain location metadata or other sensitive information.

2. Detect Manipulated Media and Deepfakes

AI has made it easier to create convincing fake images, videos, and voices. Deepfakes can imitate real people and events and may be used to spread misinformation or harassment.

Several tools help analyse suspicious media:

• Deepware Scanner – analyses videos for signs of synthetic manipulation.
• Reality Defender – AI detection platform that identifies manipulated audio, video, image, and text content.
• Hive AI detection tools – analyse media and text for signs of AI generation.

No detection tool is perfect. The best defense is combining tools with healthy skepticism and verification.

3. Understand Tracking: Cookies and Pixel Tracking

Many websites collect behavioural data through cookies and tracking pixels. These technologies help websites remember user preferences but are also widely used for advertising and analytics.

European regulations such as GDPR require transparency and user consent for many tracking practices.

To better control tracking:

• Review cookie settings when visiting websites.
• Regularly clear browser cookies.
• Use privacy-protecting browser extensions

Common privacy tools include:

• uBlock Origin
• Privacy Badger
• DuckDuckGo Privacy Essentials

These tools help reduce excessive tracking while respecting privacy and legal standards.

4. Use OSINT to Verify Information

Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) refers to investigating publicly available information to verify claims or identify misinformation.

Young people can apply simple OSINT techniques when encountering suspicious content online.

Useful tools include:

• Maltego Community Edition – maps relationships between publicly available information.
• SpiderFoot – automates OSINT investigations across many data sources.
• TinEye and Yandex Image Search – reverse image search tools that help identify the original source of images.

These tools encourage a shift from passive scrolling to active investigation.

5. Verify Videos and Online Content

Videos are one of the most powerful carriers of misinformation online. Simple verification tools can reveal where a video first appeared or whether it was taken out of context.

Recommended tools include:

• InVID Verification Plugin – a browser extension designed to help journalists and researchers verify images and videos shared on social media (.
• YouTube DataViewer (Amnesty International) – identifies upload history and thumbnails of videos.

Platforms like Tournesol also encourage users to evaluate the reliability and educational value of online videos through collaborative comparison.

6. Think Critically About Information

Technology alone cannot solve misinformation. Developing critical thinking habits is just as important.

Before sharing content online, young people should ask:

• Who created this content?
• What evidence supports the claim?
• Can the same information be confirmed by multiple reliable sources?
• Does the content appear emotional or designed to provoke reaction?

These simple questions are often the strongest protection against fake news and manipulation.

The DigiCity Legacy

While the DigiCity project is officially ending, the mission of strengthening digital citizenship continues.

The project leaves behind practical educational resources that can continue to be used by teachers, youth workers, and young people:

• A Single-Player Video Game
• An Escape Game
• A Digital Citizenship Skills Guide
• The blog series as online resources

These materials are designed to support both formal education in schools and non-formal learning environments, helping young people develop the skills needed to navigate an increasingly complex digital world.

Digital citizenship is not a one-time lesson. It is an ongoing practice of awareness, responsibility, and critical thinking – skills that will remain essential long after the project ends.