Secure your Social Media

Social Media has become an essential element of our lives in today's digital age. It offers us knowledge, communication, and skills. But, with social media's benefits come serious safety and security hazards. Data and privacy breaches are not a joke, in recent years they have been multiple reports of criminal activities which targeted our personal information. Owning a social media account has been a blessing and a curse in the digital world.

Millions of people has a daily use of Social Media for entertainment, sharing moments and creating experiences. Regardless of them benefits, social media has a strong policy on data collection, in which they include, information of the users and other relevant data that could cause a security breach if targeted by the wrong people. With all the ongoing concerns on data privacy circling around the internet, securing your private information should be an utmost priority, ESPECIALLY on social media. So what are the steps that you can do to make sure that your private information stays private?

Use strong, unique passwords

The basic rule is to ensure that your password is not “password” and you don’t use the same password on all your existing accounts like Facebook, Instagram, or Gmail. There is a reason why some accounts have to be strict regarding password creation, requiring some capital letters, numerals, and symbols on your credentials. This is for your safety.

You also need to change your password every now and then and make sure that you don’t write it on paper or pinned on the sticky notes on your laptop. I know it’s hard to remember all your passwords on different accounts so try to create one that is familiar to you (where you live, your pet’s name, etc) and add some numbers or symbols to make it unique. There are a lot of password managers out there and you can use one of them to store all your passwords.

Don’t fall into Phishing Scams

Phishing scams are one of the most prevalent methods hackers try to acquire access to your personal information on social media. These frauds frequently pose as authentic communications from reliable sources, including your bank, social media site, or email provider. This scams are commonly known for requesting sesitive information or other private data, as it could be, passwords, credit card numbers.

There were a lot of messages from friends and strangers going around that will ask you to click a link and enter your information. When it feels too shady, trust your gut! That’s your cue to back off. You should always be skeptical of unsolicited texts that request personal information to prevent falling for a phishing scam. Genuine businesses will never request that you send them critical information via email or social media. Do not open any attachments or click on any links in strange messages. Instead, contact the company's customer service division or the platform's support staff. This could be a potential hacker trying to get your private details through a fake message, email, or from the survey. 

For an additional layer of security, turn on two-factor authentication and always use strong, unique passwords for your social media accounts. You may safeguard yourself against the possible risks of phishing scams and keep your personal information safe and secure on social media by being aware of the required safeguards. Make sure to report it and never ever click it!

Withdraw Access to Third-party apps

We’ve all probably tried downloading third-party apps that we feel like essential to our daily lives. This includes photo and video editing apps and games that later become space-eating relics on our phones.

Using third-party apps to access extra functionality on social media networks might be convenient. But, if they are not thoroughly screened, they might also be a security concern. Multiple third-party apps demand access to your social network account. This means they can potentially access and use your personal information. Some applications may occasionally post on your behalf without your awareness.

You should regularly audit the apps and revoke access to any that you no longer use or trust. Search the "Apps and Websites" section on your social media account settings. In this area, you can see a list of all the third-party apps that have access to your account and take them access away as needed. If you have stopped using them for a long while, do a digital clean-up and revoke access to these apps to avoid being exposed to hackers who can view your account. Here is another blog on how to prevent third-party apps from reading your email.

Edit Privacy settings on your Social Media

Despite being a public platform, you can still control who can see your posts and photos and make them unavailable to other people and third parties. You may take various methods to keep your personal information safe on social media. First and foremost, it's crucial to check and modify your privacy settings routinely. Make sure that your posts, images, and personal information are only visible to your close family and friends. You can also choose to allow certain people, like coworkers or friends, to see your profile. 

Also, exercise caution while sharing information online. Avoid publishing private or sensitive information that could be used to locate or identify you. Be careful what you post and where you tag because this information can be used to create a profile of your habits and interests.

Make sure to check your privacy settings on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram and manage your privacy based on what’s acceptable for you.

Conclusion - Get a VPN

Free is not necessarily good especially when we’re talking about data privacy. Connecting to public wi-fi can put your account at risk. Everything about the internet can be a hazard, but this doesn't mean you should stop using it; It means you invest in protecting yourself from suspicious activities. To ensure that all the information you share is encrypted, you better invest in a VPN service that can monitor your personal information. Check out our VPN service to surf through social media with full security.