With Social Media Day coming up on June 30, it’s the perfect time to think about how to stay safe online. Despite their convenience for keeping in touch, social media platforms such as Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter also present significant security risks. Fortunately, with these simple tips, you can protect your online privacy and keep cybercriminals at bay, ensuring you enjoy a much safer social media experience.
Think before posting
It’s easy to get caught up in the moment and overshare on social media, but doing so can be a privacy risk. Do not post personal details such as your phone number, email, home address, or daily routine (local cafes or restaurants you visit every day, for example). Strangers can easily use this information to locate you or steal your identity.
Additionally, remember that anything on the internet can potentially exist forever. Consider the long-term impact of your posts, as they can easily come back to haunt you. Employers, colleges, and even potential friends or partners may search through your social media history, and a single careless post — no matter how far back — can affect first impressions. Thus, before hitting that “post” button, always ask yourself if the content is something you are comfortable with everyone seeing, including people you don’t know well.
Curate your connections
To guarantee a safe online experience, it is essential to curate your list of contacts to include only those you know and trust. Randomly accepting friend requests or following accounts you know little about can expose you to risks, such as unwanted contact or privacy breaches. If you’re building an online presence as an influencer, it’s best to create a profile for public posts and interactions while having a personal account for your real-life friends and family.
Moreover, suspicious or malicious users can use your information in harmful ways. They might try to scam you, steal your identity, or gather details about you for nefarious purposes. If you notice any unusual behavior, such as unsolicited messages asking for personal information or links to unknown sites, it's best to block these users immediately.
Stay wary of phishing scams
The FTC found that, between 2021 and 2023, social media fraud stole $2.7 billion dollars, surpassing the combined losses due to regular web and email scams. Most social media fraud cases are phishing scams, which involve the use of messages or posts that trick targets into sharing personal information, including credit card details or passwords. The instigator typically poses as a friend, family member, or even a trusted company, making their messages seem legitimate.
Phishing scams can cause plenty of damage to victims, from convincing them to download malware onto their devices (often under the guise of trusted software) to fooling them into handing over confidential details that they can then sell to hackers online. Before clicking on links or downloading attachments from suspicious sources, it is crucial to exercise caution. Even if a message appears to come from someone you know, if it seems unusual or out of character, verify its authenticity before taking any action.
Secure your social media accounts
Using strong, unique passwords and enabling multifactor authentication (MFA) are essential to protecting your social media privacy. To prevent cybercriminals from guessing or cracking it, a secure password should contain a mixture of letters, numbers, and symbols. Do not use easily guessable passwords like "password123" or reuse passwords for multiple accounts. These precautions ensure that a security breach in one account doesn't affect others.
Multifactor authentication (MFA) requires a second form of identification in addition to your password, such as a code sent to your phone or an authentication app. Thus, even if someone obtains your password, they still need further verification that they cannot provide.
Adjust your privacy settings
Various settings on social media platforms enable you to regulate your post visibility, contact preferences, and personal information accessibility. You could start by setting your profile to private so that only approved friends or followers can see your posts and personal details. Additionally, pay attention to the settings related to location sharing. It's often best to disable this feature to prevent others from tracking your movements.
On your phone, review the app permissions regularly. Limit the access they have to your personal information or tools, such as your contacts, photos, and even the camera or microphone. Confirm that these apps only have the permissions they need to function properly. All this helps ensure you are sharing private details with only those you trust, enhancing your safety online.
Do you want to further improve your online privacy? QuickTech experts can guide you through our various cybersecurity solutions, from antivirus software to regular security training. Secure your data by scheduling a consultation with our team today.