Keeping Personal Information Safe on Social Media

access_time January 4, 2019
by   admin
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Social media currently plays a major role in people’s lives , helping them share pictures, connect with family and friends, get updated news and make close associates aware of every major and minor incidents in their lives. We have come to a stage where everyone remains socially connected via social media platforms, to the extent, that even organizations of every hue adopt social media as a way to remain closely connected with its employees. We can only make a rough guess about the irreparable damage that can be brought about if someone else gets admin access to our social media accounts. We know of instances where hacks have gained unauthorized access into people’s social media accounts and sent dirty links to all their followers on various social media platforms. Additionally, gaining entry into someone else’s social media accounts is not an insurmountable job presently, as a single wrong click on a phishing scam can make unauthorized access rather easy. Let us take a look at the manner in which we can keep our personal information secure from all forms of unauthorized access, while still enjoying all the benefits that accrue from our social media connections. Keeping a close eye on the mailbox One of the easiest ways to gain access to personal information is to send a rogue link to a person’s inbox, making it look like a personal message from a friend or colleague, and asking him to click on the link. By the time the person realizes that he has been cheated, the hacker would have gained easy access to his mailbox. This is a universal practice taken recourse to by hackers and requires no technical sophistication. Treat the ‘about me’ fields as optional Social media platforms give its users the option to upload a variety of personal information about themselves, including such information as the user’s date and place of birth, phone number, school / college where one has studied etc. Most of these are not mandatory, but merely optional and it would be advisable not to upload every minute detail about oneself as it would make it easier for people to know where you presently are. A short message on a social media platform stating that you are in a far off country on a vacation could be an invitation for thieves to break into your home. Be careful with the type of people you befriend There was a time when social media users competed with one another to acquire the largest number of connections; but presently quality of the connection is now being viewed as having greater impact and value than a mere surge in the number of connections. It is also to be noted that the more the number of people you are connected to, the harder it is to control what happens to the information you post. The principle that should guide you is not to accept every friend request, but to filter the requests and accept only those that you feel would add value to existing connections. You can also exercise the “block button “ option if the situation so demands. Create strong passwords A weak password could open the possibility of hackers guessing right the passwords used by a user. Ideally a strong password should be a combination of words, numbers, upper- and lowercase letters, and special characters that are easy for users to remember, but tough for people to guess. Skip common password elements like birth dates, anniversaries, etc and memorize them , never writing them down on places others are likely to see.

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