Owning a social media account has been a blessing and a curse in the digital world. On one end, you got a platform that instantly connects you to different people. And on the other, you open yourself up to everyone, even to the people who don’t intend to see your information. 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 when it comes to 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 in 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
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. This could be a potential hacker trying to get your private details through a fake message, email or from surveys. 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 also games that later on becomes space-eating relic on our phones. 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.
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 it unavailable to other people and third parties. Make sure to check your privacy settings on facebook, twitter or Instagram and manage your privacy based on what’s acceptable for you.
Get a VPN
Free is not necessarily good especially when we’re talking about data privacy. Connecting to a public wi-fi can put your account at risk. To ensure that all the information that you share is encrypted, better invest on a VPN service that can keep an eye on your personal information. Check out our VPN service to surf through social media with full security.
Do you value your privacy online?
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