Security and Social Networks

I worked in the tech business for quite a number of years. So although I am no expert in the protocols of web encryption, etc, I do know enough about how the internet works to know that many people are being careless when it comes to how they use social networks.

Some people do not see any problem posting revealing photos of themselves and are “friending” people they do not know in an effort to seem more popular. Some people I consider quite intelligent “check in” at locations around the world and post photos of themselves in faraway locations, alerting others to the fact that they will not be home for a while.

Some people are avoiding social networks altogether due to security fears. We do not need to barricade ourselves inside our homes to keep safe. We can keep ourselves relatively safe while being active in social networks. But it does take a little work and, mostly, some common sense…

One important thing to consider is that there is no way to be absolutely sure that what you post on a social network will never get out to more than just one or a few people, even if you send a private message or send a post to a limited number of recipients on a public forum. We should always imagine that whatever we post will become viewable to everyone. So don’t post that you think your boss is a jerk and do not post revealing photos.

There are documented cases where convicts admitted that they monitored Facebook and other social networks to determine timing of when to burglarize homes. The not-so-funny thing about this is that it is not hard at all to avoid this. Simply remember to not tell people too much about your comings and goings and do not post too much personal information, such as your home address and phone number, where everyone can see it.

Here is a short list of DOs and DON’Ts…

DO NOT:

*post that you are going on vacation or a business trip (letting people know that you won’t be home for a while)

*”check in” at a location far from home (same reason as above)

*post photos that are revealing

*post comments that reveal personal details about yourself

*list your home address

*include your phone number unless you are OK with strangers calling you

DO:

*check your security settings on Facebook to minimize the risk of people you do not know seeing your posts and photos.

*post your photos of vacations and business trips only AFTER you get back home, noting that you are now back.

*or do what my wife does and post about being married to a Karate instructor! ;-)