Social media is a significant part of daily life for people around the globe. Using social media has become so routine that people can easily overlook security, making them vulnerable to criminals who aim to use social media to access personal information about their victims. Social media use can not only make people vulnerable to crimes such as identity theft, but it also can make people more likely to be victims of violent crimes. For example, according to GuardChild, a group founded by parents with a goal of protecting children in the digital age, 33 percent of all internet-initiated sex crimes involve social networking sites.
The following are some security measures social media users can take to protect themselves on platforms like Facebook, Instagram or Twitter.
People should avoid being overly personal and always think before sharing personal information via social media. Even sharing something as innocuous as the name of the street where one grew up can provide an avenue for cyber criminals to access personal information. Many people use information like their childhood address or pets' names when creating passwords for bank accounts or other password-protected sites. Sharing such insider information on social media gives criminals a backdoor through which they might be able to access sensitive information.
The 2018 Global Digital suite of reports from We Are Social and Hootsuite indicated that 90 percent of the three billion global social media users access platforms via mobile devices. If devices, including smartphones and tablets, are not locked, criminals can access them via Wi-Fi wherever people go. Devices should always be locked, and sensitive information should be encrypted if it is being stored on mobile devices.
People should be on the lookout for the obvious. Email-based scams are still widely in use, even though many users may think that such scams are a thing of the past. The digital security experts at Norton note that email phishing scams are still used because they still work, having recently been used to hack into private businesses and even government organizations. These scams, when effective, can be used to provide criminals with access to email and social media accounts. It is important that social media users stay alert to all potential security threats, even those they might think are too simple to work.
Social media users must prioritize security when accessing their accounts to ensure they can safely connect with friends and colleagues.
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