How to use social media to avoid spying and hackers
You need to protect yourself
You need to be very careful when you use apps. It can be fun to talk to friends, but you could also give away personal information that could be used to spy on you or even steal your identity.
So here are some things you must do to protect yourself.
LOG OFF APPS AND WEBSITES
If you are logged on to a social media site, it can track where you are. It does this in several ways. If you use a mobile phone, the phone will give your location to any application that is allowed to know it. If you are on Wi-Fi with your phone, the router you connect to will also tell applications where you are.
And if you are on a laptop or desktop pc or tablet, the router you use to connect to the internet will reveal your location.
So if you not using a social media programme, log off. If it is used through a phone app, you also need to log off. Then your location will be protected.
IMPORTANT – Many applications – not just social media – ask you to allow them to have your geographical location. They say it is to “improve your service”, but if you say YES to this, you could be giving the apps permission to spy on you. So don’t accept it. And if you already have done, go into the application or website and change the setting (it is usually in the privacy or security section).
DON’T “CHECK IN” OR SAY WHERE YOU ARE IF YOU AREN’T AT HOME
A lot of people use social media to tell friends what they are doing. Some people post messages saying things like, “I’m on vacation for a week at the beach”, or “I’m eating in a restaurant tonight.” Posting things like this means you are telling everyone who can see your posts that you are out of your home. Do you really want people to know that your home is empty for the night or even a week?
If you are going to post messages about being out of your home, only post them so true friends can see them – people you trust. But it is better not to post them at all.
“Checking in” is the process where some phone applications see that you are at a certain restaurant or location. Apart from the security risk mentioned above, this sort of information means that people can see what you do socially – where you eat, what hotels you visit, etc. Then you will be bombarded with marketing messages from other places you don’t use as well. So allow the “check in” option to work in any social media app.
BE CAREFUL WHO YOUR “FRIENDS” ARE
It’s very easy and very flattering to have lots of social media friends or followers. But do you actually know these people? Are they even real people? Social media is used by criminals and computer hackers to get information about potential victims. They create false identities and then become friends or followers of their victims. Some use this to gain personal information that they can use to steal identities. Others will then send messages and posts that contain viruses that they can use to hack your computer or take over your account.
So if someone asks to be a friend on social media, and you don’t know them at all, make sure they are real. If they look suspicious, google their name and any other information they give, and see what you can find out. If they are friends with someone you know personally, then ask that person about them. If you have any doubts at all, just say no to the request. You could be saving yourself from being hacked.
DON’T REVEAL PERSONAL INFORMATION
Think about all the security information that might have to give if you call your bank or utility company. Your date of birth. Your mother’s name before she married. Your first school. Your first child’s name. Now look at your social media accounts, and see how many of those questions have their answers on your postings and personal details. You’ll be surprised – and perhaps horrified!
People post far too much personal information on social media, and every day, fraudsters use information they find on sites like Facebook to commit fraud, steal money or open accounts using the names of other people. Facebook asks for your date of birth, and will publish it for all to see – and yet this is the main security question asked by anyone official. So don’t tell Facebook the year you are born – you are allowed to do this. Look at other information you have online, like the schools you went to. If you have used information as an answer to a security question, then remove it from social media.
And be careful what you post too. Imagine you post a message saying, “Today is my 35th birthday!” Anyone who sees this will know your exact date of birth.
We recommend you go through all your social media accounts and remove anything sensitive. And when you register with any new site, be careful what information you give. Why would an online shop need to know your date of birth. For example? It doesn’t – and so you don’t shouldn’t give the information.
LINKS FROM FRIENDS
Be very careful with messages that you get from friends. If they send you a link to a website or a video link, they may be helping hackers or fraudsters without knowing it! Cyber-criminals are very smart at hiding viruses inside innocent-looking websites – and they make the links attractive by using attractive subjects like jokes or funny videos to make people look at their site. While people are looking, the virus is downloaded!
If you are going to look at these sort of links, make sure you have good, up-to-date anti-virus software and that it is set to scan link before it takes you to the site. You could be saved a lot of problems!
WORK AND SOCIAL MEDIA
You should remember that what you post on social media could be visible through Google to your employers now – and future employers. Nowadays many companies do searches on what their staff are posting online, and most companies will do searches on people who apply for jobs with them. Some companies have found that staff or applicants have drug or drink problems, or have posted criticism of their bosses or employers.
So make sure that you are very careful not to post anything that could damage your career.