Are You REALLY Safe With Social Media?
How do you feel about using social media and giving away all your private details, such as your name, perhaps the city you live in, your age, your birthday and more? Have you ever though about the possible implications this could bring to you and if yes, how concerned are you REALLY about security and safety?
Bloggers beware
Surprisingly enough, many Internet users don’t seem to worry about the protection of their identity. They give away private info freely, leaving them open to identity theft, burglary and more. One instance I can remember was last year, when popular blogger David Airey announced an upcoming trip, only to be cracked out of his own website while he was in transit.
It took the guy a couple of anxious weeks to get authority back for his own domain and it would have cost him time, money and a lot of nerves. While this doesn’t directly relate to social networks, it just shows that trust is perhaps a false sense of security when we do business online – especially with strangers.
This example indicates that perhaps it isn’t such a good idea to tell your blog readers of an upcoming holiday after all.
False sense of security
Social media sites offer many potential issues with safety and security. Just imagine how easy it would be for a stalker to get hold of your physical address. I think it would be quite easy for a nasty person to break into any social media profile and steal your information.
Maybe I’m wrong, but an article on Mashable certainly confirmed what I had secretly been worrying about for some time. Social networks prompt us to throw caution in the wind and trust each other, based on our needs to create a social environment.
It is a false sense of security many take for granted. It all starts with your name, your birthday and your address. How many social media sites ask you to reveal your birthday as part of the sign up process? I think it is fair to say there are many. Do you give out this information freely, or do you cheat to protect your private information? Without trying to sound too worried, I think that by giving others the power to access our private details, we basically hand them an invitation to abuse.
If you look at what the University of Colorado has to say about this, you soon see that by giving out your details such as the ones mentioned above, it will be very easy for a perpetrator to steal the rest in order to steal your identity.
Wireless concerns
Another trap lurks if you access these networks or anything private through a wireless device such as a laptop, a mobile phone, a PDA or even a Blackberry. If the device isn’t secured properly you could be hacked and lose important private information.
And it’s not just strangers that could pose a problem. More often than not, people we are scammed by family and so called friends.
No reason to panic but be wary
I think while all this is certainly cause for concern, you don’t have to panic just yet. However, it will help you to be cautious and think twice before you give out all your private details on those social networks, or even your blog.
The fact that we are hidden away from people on the Internet might well lull us into a false sense of security that could have an ugly outcome.
Does your security concern you? If it does, what do you do to protect your identity without losing your chances to network?
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About The Blog Author
Alex Sysoef is an IT Consultant, Internet Marketer and ProBlogger who shares his passion and knowledge of WordPress, SEO, Social Media and traffic strategies on his blog WordPress Howto Spotter. Connect on Twitter or Facebook
Twitter: barbaraling
says:
I completely agree. I will never announce when I’m taking a vacation or will otherwise be gone (but I’ll talk about it after I return).
Good article! Stumbled.
Barbara
Barbara Ling, Virtual Coachs last blog post..How dare you NOT feel sorry for me!!
You are permitted vacations Barbara?!
how did that happen
?
Alex
@ Barbara: Thank you. I also think it is crazy to announce upcoming trips, especially the dates. Some people even post their whole itenaries online. Beats me how they can sleep at night.
Monika Mundells last blog post..Blog Communications
You have a really good point. I hate how Facebook shows your full real name – and as you said many ask for a physical address & with so many creepy people out there you really have to wonder if what you are doing is smart. I might be losing out on networking, but I think safety is always more important.
TRs last blog post..Should You Continue Your Relationship With an Alcoholic?
@ TR: I’m as concerned as you to be honest. I also never give out my real bday info. I don’t care whether it is in their TOS or not but as far as I’m concerned it is none of those network’s business when I’m born, only that I’m old enough to make my own decisions.
Monika Mundells last blog post..Blog Communications
You are right on Alex. After a couple of years in the blogging business I learned how important it is to register you domain names using the privacy feature. Competitors out there can be ruthless and quite ugly finding your private info and causing mayhem on all your sites.
False sense of security is correct and I have now found the importance of using pen names in my article writing as well.
Sad state of affairs I know but with a zillion people getting online and into some of the more cut throat niches you have to take precautions.
Just the way of the world these days.
Thanks for the post!
Barry
Barrys last blog post..Solar How To: Build Your Own Solar Panels And Save Big Bucks!
Thanks Barry,
Actually post written by my editor but I’m sure she will appreciate the kind words!
@ Barry: Thanks for your comment. It is interesting what you say about private domain registration. So far I haven’t had an issue with public ones but I think eventually I have to re-consider. Thanks for the reminder anyway.
@ Alex: I sure do, thank you for the clarification.
Monika Mundells last blog post..Blog Communications
Good article – people should be aware how easy it can be for unscrupulous individuals to notice any flaws in your security for them to exploit – it pays to play it safe.
@ Olly: I agree, rather be safe than sorry, it makes for better sleeping at night, don’t you think?
Monika Mundells last blog post..Blog Communications
This really hits home for me. I have 2 aliases that I use online. As a former IT Recruiter part of my job back in 1999 was to find candidates online using Google, AOL and Netscape.
Although I enjoyed sleuthing online for viable candidates, I never myself once considered plastering my personal information online. I’m ultra aware regarding the perils of Identity theft but more importantly having someone easily track your every move, comment and spirited discussions online at blogs, forums, etc. is just too much for me.
Employers love to monitor this type of employee behaviour. It’s so easy to do.
To this day, I’m not interested in Facebook, Twitter or LinkedIn for that matter. Those who I need to know, I will know in due time.
Great article Monika as always you pointed out key tips to remember.
@ Jennifer: Thank you. I’m glad the article was beneficial for you. I totally understand your concerns and if I wasn’t doing what I do, I would probably proceed like you. But the nature of my business requires me to use my name which is fine. I’m not worried about that really since thousands of others use their names too.
It’s in the small print though that we have to keep check.
Monika Mundells last blog post..Blog Communications
My apologies Monika!
You know us harried IM’rs =)
See how important it is to keep your identity private! Crediting the
wrong person who wrote the article could get me an inbox full of rotten
tomatoes!
So I am back to straighten out the errors of my ways….Great post Monika!
Barry
It was only a couple of years ago I realised it probably wasn’t a good idea to use the same passwords on forums as my bank account. But lord knows how to remember all the passwords and usernames you need these days. especially when they have different rules about numbers and letters ..
malcolms last blog post..Britannia in merger talks with Co-operative
By the way, your header is shoved all the way to the right in firefox on a mac …
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Malcolm,
thanks for heads up – unfortunately I can’t optimize for every version of browser for every OS out there. I have all the mainstream covered and tested but appreciate the HUP
There have been quite a few stories in the UK about teenage house parties being announced on Facebook and Myspace, with hundreds of people unknown to the host turning up and literally trashing the houses and causing havoc. Some people don’t give a second thought to posting their full name, address, date of birth and all other kinds of sensitive information on sites such as Facebook – crazy!
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Yeah, but that should teach them for the rest of their natural life's