Social means
Do you often use social media to broadcast details about your life? That’s why this habit could put your privacy and security at risk.
February 26, 2024
•
,
5 minutes. Light
Hundreds of millions of us log in to our favorite social media sites every day. We shop, share photos and news, like posts and comments, send private messages and much more. In fact, Northern and Western Europe are estimated to have the highest social media penetration rates in the world, at nearly 84% of the population.
But our use of these sites is also problematic. Oversharing is a growing problem. At the very least it can annoy your friends and family. At worst, it could lead to identity fraud, allow cybercriminals to take over your passwords, and potentially even put your personal assets at risk of theft.
Even if you consider yourself quite savvy when it comes to privacy, platform owners frequently update their websites and apps, making constant vigilance essential. With that in mind, let’s consider some things that are best not shared on social media, and why doing so could put the physical and digital safety of you, your friends, and your family at risk.
10 things to keep to yourself
1. Personally Identifiable Information (PII)
Scammers are always looking for little bits of information about you, which they can piece together to create an identity to scam. They may use this information to apply for credit in your name or open online accounts. Or worse, they could use it to crack your passwords and/or memorable questions, in order to completely hijack your account. Even something as innocuous as your pet’s name or your date of birth should be kept secret.
2. Travel plans
It might seem harmless enough to post a photo or update saying you’re excited about the upcoming vacation. But it could mean to someone monitoring your account that your property will be left unattended during that time. Better to keep everything vague; definitely no date. It’s much better to post vacation photos once you get home for the same reason.
3. Location data
As mentioned, there is a point where cyber crime and physical crime overlap. And this point is often made on social media. If a criminal knows that an individual will be home alone, or walking in a remote area, or that their property will be unoccupied, you can imagine what might happen next. Keep your location data hidden where possible. Additionally, some social media platforms may automatically tag the location of posts. Sharing family events or friends’ locations can inadvertently reveal where you or they live, work, or spend their time.
4. Expensive purchases
Similar to travel plans, posting photos of expensive jewelry or a flashy new car could make your friends jealous. But if there’s someone monitoring your account with darker schemes in mind, they could mark you as a potential target for robbery or burglary. Try to be cautious when posting information about any new purchases or gifts.
5. Photos of children
Some parents love sharing photos of their children. But are your children old enough to provide consent? They may not appreciate having naked baby or drooling baby photos of themselves posted on the Internet when they’re old enough to tell you to stop. Not to mention the more sinister types who might scour the web looking for images of children. It also goes without saying that if you are thinking about posting pictures of someone else’s children, always ask for their consent first. You may be breaking the law if you don’t.
6. Work-related complaints
What’s worse than having an expensive piece of jewelry stolen? Maybe lose your job? That’s why it’s important to stay silent about any controversial work-related events. If you want to vent, do it with a colleague or friend offline. If HR or even a disgruntled coworker finds out that you’re complaining about your workplace, your coworkers, and/or your boss, you could get in trouble.
7. Financial Details
Similar to the PII example, it is helpful to keep your financial data hidden. So don’t post credit or debit card details. Even if the image seems too blurry or far away to see, it may be enough to give scammers the ability to grab it and combine it with other personal data in your account to commit identity fraud.
8. PII of family and friends
Information shared on social media is often permanent, and not everyone is comfortable sharing their personal information or details of their life online. You also don’t want to risk your friends and family getting scammed online. So keep their PII as you would your own: under lock and key.
9. Social media giveaways
Social media sites are full of sweepstakes and free giveaways. These are often poorly disguised attempts to steal users’ personal information or even spread hidden malware. Think twice before filling out any online forms and sharing links to freebies. If they seem too good to be true, they usually are.
10. Private conversations
Social media is by nature a public forum, even if your account is relatively locked. That’s why it’s not the place to share inside information. If it’s related to your workplace, it’s even more important not to share it. But even if it’s relatively trivial news about your group of friends or family, it could cause unnecessary heartache and acrimony if publicized. If it’s not your news, don’t share it.
Some tips to stay safe
So, how can you avoid oversharing like in the examples above? Consider the following.
- Be careful what you post when you post: Always consider (even if your profile is limited) whether you would feel comfortable telling someone sitting next to you the same information you are posting online.
- Check your friends list every now and then: It’s a useful exercise to weed out those you don’t recognize or who would rather not be able to see your posts.
- Limit who can see your friends list and posts: This will help reduce the chances of someone using the information you share for nefarious purposes.
- Restrict access to photos: Ideally, these should only be visible to known friends and approved family members.
- Turn on two-factor authentication (2FA) and usage complex and unique passwords: This will reduce the chance of someone being able to take control of your account, even if they manage to 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. Stay out of trouble by being thoughtful when using social media platforms.