For most of us on Twitter, Facebook, MySpace, and other social sites we aren’t too anxious about safety. Well bullying, pedophiles, stalking, and other crimes are now a priority social networkers should have. Formerly I have been pretty open on my Facebook page, although there is a complete difference between being open and being brainless. Here are 5 ways to protect yourself and your identity.
1. Keep Personal Info Secret
Individuals don’t need to know your personal information. Never put in writing your social security number, address, and phone number out there. Only give it to people you know personally. Also, be careful about the people you add. You never know who may turn out to be a hacker, stalker, or someone trying to take your identity. Also consider using a user name that isn’t your real name. And don’t tweet where you are because that makes you easy to follow or even break into your house.
2. Beware of Strangers
Although this might seem a little elementary, there’s nothing wrong with a review course. Some individuals that might seem like friends could in fact be spammers that just want to hijack your account. Or they might just want to get traffic to their links. If you don’t know them, and your friends don’t know them, don’t add them.
3. Strange Behavior
If friends on social sites seem to be acting weird, don’t accept gifts from them or open their messages. Someone may have hacked into their system so who you thought was a friend really isn’t. So, if you have a friend pushing “muenster cheese is the best” but you know they’re a vegan. Then it’s probably a warning that you shouldn’t click on the URL. It could be a nasty program that will mess up your computer.
4. Condensed URLs
Some URLs for web site addresses are really long and consequently by using tools like bit.ly you can have a link with a shortened URL. While these may be useful, they can also allow scammers and spammers the power to hide where you are actually going. If it’s possible make sure to preview the URL before you go onto it. An easy rule is that if you can’t observe where the link is going, don’t go there.
5. Know your Secrecy Options
All of these social media tools allow you to adjust your private security settings to a certain point. Make sure that you evaluate and regulate them to the uppermost privacy setting they allow. However, don’t set the settings so great that the tools don’t work right. Many of these settings are not the default so make sure that you alter them so some random stranger can’t find your information through the search engine. If you don’t like or are worried about some of the privacy settings on the site, then don’t use it. Look for a different site that meets your privacy protection standards. Regularly examine and upgrade your browser privacy settings.
Social sites can be great. You can reconnect with old friends, improve existing relationships, and at the same time make new friends. Just be careful about what information you are putting up there, and take into account these 5 tips in order to keep yourself and your identity safe.
About the author:
Diane Johnson earned a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from the University of Utah. She likes to write about the news, politics, college courses, online education, and the college experience.
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