Social Media Safety Tips – How Not to Be a Victim

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Social Media Safety Tips – How Not to Be a Victim

Social media is used by over a billion people around the world. Whether we like it or not, we are all part of this online world. For those of us who use social media, it’s important to enjoy the benefits but at a minimum risk. Exposing our personal information online can put us at risk and there is no need to get to this point. With so many crime victims resulting from social media, it’s important to know the risks, know how to protect yourself, so you can stay safe while using the platforms.

“There are many different ways in which someone can be a victim due to their wrong use of social media platforms,” says expert private investigator Nicholas Donkova from Russia PI. For millions of people around the world, having a Facebook account is just a way to keep in touch with friends and family and to easily go over the “news”. Even if this seems harmless, the truth is there are many people interested in the information that users share online. Private information is private, but sometimes failing to think through a social media post can leave you exposed.

Think it twice before posting or sending anything

We always need to stop and think about what might happen to the information we share. Where could it end up? Who might be able to read or share it? Would you be comfortable knowing that a complete stranger or dangerous criminal knows this information? Sending pictures or sharing personal details online is always a risky behavior! Many of the major websites, such as Facebook, make money by selling your information to advertisers and other third parties. The more you share, the more they make money and the more Zuckerberg and Company laugh all the way to the bank.

Social media often gives people a false sense of security that we don’t have in real life. We probably wouldn’t walk down the street showing strangers photos of our children, telling them what school they go to, their names and addresses, date of birth, vacation plans, etc. No one would trust someone they just met on the subway with a nude photo of themselves. And yet every day private investigators in Russia are working on extortion and blackmailing cases because victims share all this with people they have never seen. We are voluntarily providing material to criminals, and it is time to stop this. Every time we post something personal and private on social media we are sharing it with strangers, and those strangers can be criminals waiting for an opportunity to make money.

Read and take the time to understand the privacy settings

After the recent series of questions from lawmakers and regulators around the world over Facebook’s mishandling of personal data, most users know that all their personal information is being sold. It’s the social media business model. Do you agree with the privacy terms? If you haven’t taken the opportunity to check the privacy settings and the terms of use that your social media platform provides you, do so. You might find that closing your account is the best option, or maybe just a little tuning on the settings will do. Always turn your geo-tracking / surveillance option on phones off. The important thing is to have a clear understanding of how protected your data is, and what you can do to avoid any dangers. Social media can help us exchange ideas and keep in touch with people we care for, but we have to know well how the business works and how others can take advantage.

Keep your sharing the least personal as possible, and set up your privacy settings to protect your data. Remember that whatever you post online is most likely being used by the company to make money, whether you consent or not, and anything posted could end up in the wrong hands.