Hundreds of millions of people connect to their favorite social networks every day to shop, share photos and news, check posts and comments, send private messages and much more. But, in relation to sharing personal information excessively it can lead to certain problems such as identity theft, allowing cybercriminals to access passwords and even putting personal belongings at risk of theft.
Even if you consider yourself a privacy expert, those who manage the platforms frequently update their websites and applications, so it is essential to stay up to date and carry out constant surveillance. With this in mind, it is important to consider some points that it would be better not to share on social networks, and why doing so can put your physical and digital security or that of your friends and family at risk.
The 10 points that it is better not to share on social networks are:
1. Personally Identifiable Information (PII): Scammers are always on the hunt for small pieces of information that they can stitch together to create an identity to scam. They could use this information to apply for credit in someone else’s name or open online accounts. Worse still, they could use it to decrypt passwords and/or secret questions, in order to completely take over an account. Something as innocuous as the pet’s name or date of birth should be kept secret.
2. Travel plans: Posting a photo or update saying you’re excited about an upcoming vacation could signal to someone that your property will be unattended during that time. It is best not to be very precise and not put any dates. For the same reason, it’s much better to post vacation photos once you’re back home.
3. Location data: As we have already said, there is a point where cybercrime and physical crime overlap, and that point is usually on social media. If a criminal knows that a person is going to be home alone, or walking in a remote area, or that their property is going to be unoccupied, you can guess what might happen next. Keep location data secret whenever possible. Additionally, some social media platforms may automatically tag the location of posts. Sharing family events or friends’ locations can inadvertently reveal where they live, work, or spend time.
4. Expensive purchases: As with travel plans, posting photos of expensive jewelry or a flashy new car can attract the attention of social media followers. But if there’s someone watching an account with darker plans in mind, they could flag that account as a potential target for robberies or robberies. Try to be cautious when posting information about new purchases or gifts.
5. Photos of children: some parents love to share photos of their children. But are they old enough to give consent? They may not like pictures of naked babies or drooling children all over the Internet when they are old enough to ask their parents to stop. Not to mention the more sinister cases that can scour the web in search of images of minors. At the same time, if you are thinking about posting images of someone else’s children, always ask for their consent. Otherwise, you could be breaking the law.
6. Labor grievances: What’s worse than having an expensive piece of jewelry stolen? Lose your job? That’s why it’s important to stay silent about any controversial work-related issues. If what you are looking for is to vent, do it with a partner or friend outside the Internet. If HR or even a disgruntled colleague discovers complaints from your workplace, your colleagues and/or your boss, it could cause problems for you.
7. Financial data: As with personal information, financial data should be kept secret. So it is recommended not to publish credit or debit card information. Even if the image appears blurry or far away to view, it could be enough to give scammers the opportunity to combine it with other personal account data to commit identity fraud.
8. Personally identifiable information from family and friends: Information shared on social media is often permanent and not everyone feels comfortable sharing their personal data or life details online. Also, do not risk friends and family being scammed on the Internet. It is best to protect your personally identifiable information the way you protect your own: under lock and key.
9. Social media giveaways: Social media is full of giveaways and giveaways. These are often poorly disguised attempts to obtain users’ personal information, or even to spread covert malware. Think twice before filling out online forms and sharing links to giveaways. If they seem too good to be true, they usually aren’t.
10. Private conversations: Social media is by nature a public forum, even if an account is relatively locked. That is why it is not the right place to share privileged information. If it’s workplace-related, it’s even more important not to share it. But even if it’s relatively mundane news about a group of friends or family, it could cause distress if it becomes public. If it is not your own news, it is preferable not to share it.
In this context, some tips are shared to protect security:
Be aware of what is published: always think (even if the profile is restricted) if you would feel comfortable telling someone sitting next to you the same information that you are publishing on the Internet.
Check your friends list from time to time: It’s a useful exercise to purge those you don’t recognize or would prefer not to be able to see your posts.
Restrict who can see your friends list and posts: This will help reduce the chances of anyone using any information you share for nefarious purposes.
Restrict access to photos: Ideally, only known friends and approved family members can see them.
Enable two-factor authentication (2FA) and use strong, unique passwords: This will reduce the chance that someone can hijack your account, even if they can guess or crack your password.
Sharing with our friends, family and contacts is what makes social media so fun and rewarding, but it is also a potential source of risk. Using social media with caution can avoid many security risks and headaches.
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