02/14/2018
Family and friends may not be the only fans of your tweets, pics and status updates. For cybercriminals phishing for personal data, Facebook, Instagram and other social media platforms—even LinkedIn – are prime places to cast their nets.
For a more secure social media experience, consider these easy steps:
Practice general online best practices. Choose strong passwords. Click links with caution, even if shared by a friend. Be selective about sharing your name, birthdate, social security number, workplace and other personal information. Remember that anything posted online is permanent, even after accounts are deleted.
Check your privacy settings. Social media platforms offer options for who can see your posts. The more restrictive options provide the most protection from data theft. (How-to guides for: Twitter; LinkedIn; Facebook/Instagram/SnapChat/What'sApp)
Save vacation photos for when you return. As tempting as it is to share gorgeous views and tasty beverages in real-time, nothing says "No one's home, help yourself to everything" like a beach pic. To a lesser degree, this applies to restaurant, concert or other out-for-the evening posts.
Skip the geo-tagging. Potentially more dangerous than announcing you're not home is revealing where you are, and your phone automatically provides that info to most social media platforms unless you change its settings. (How-to guides for iPhone, iPad; Android)
Other options: Share only photos taken from a GPS-free camera, or convert phone pics to PNG files and publish from a desktop. Pro Tip: Crop or blur signage and other location-revealing elements from photos.
This is important, please share/spread the word!
