Social Media Privacy Tips

Everyone likes a “like” (or a comment or a share), right? And although it’s fun to share our lives online and reap the ensuing engagement, it’s crucial to keep your personal safety top-of-mind amongst the fun posts of photos and videos. 

Real Strategies for Privacy Protection:

1. Review Privacy Settings (and Adjust as Needed): Always take time to review your privacy settings on each of your individual social media profiles. Most platforms offer privacy settings that allow you to customize or limit who can see your content, including on a post-by-post basis. Consider limiting your profile visibility and only accept friend requests from people you can validate as real humans (whom you know). These social media privacy tips are essential for maintaining control over your online presence.

2. Be Mindful of Sharing Practices: Never share personal information on social media (Think: home address, full birthday, social insurance number, credit card number). Keep in mind that once you’ve posted something online, it lives there forever (yes, even if the website is defunct or you deactivate your account). When in doubt, try to err on the side of caution and keep sensitive information off of your posts. Following these social media privacy tips can protect you from potential breaches.

3. Manage Your Friends List: Periodically take stock of the names that appear on your friends or follower lists. It’s okay to remove anyone you no longer wish to have access to your personal information. Always remember that, despite the push to be posting and growing, social media is not truly a popularity contest (or any kind of contest). It’s okay to be selective about who you connect with online. Trust your instincts and prioritize your privacy and security above all else, another core aspect of social media privacy tips.

4. Secure Your Accounts with a Second Number: Protect your accounts from any suspicious or unauthorized sign-ins with a strong and unique password. Be sure to enable two-factor authentication whenever possible. Use a Hushed online number instead of your private phone number to double up on security in case your account is ever hacked or otherwise compromised.

5. Think Before You Post: First, be sure that the photo or video is something you’re comfortable with the whole world seeing. Remember that once something is posted online, it can be difficult to control who shares or reposts it. Second, be aware that geotagging your image or even tagging the handle of a city or venue, is revealing information about your whereabouts. Consider only including that information once you’re no longer at that physical location.

6. Beware of Phishing and Cyberscams: Stay vigilant against scams or attempts to trick you into revealing personal information or downloading something malicious. Be wary of unsolicited messages or friend requests from unfamiliar accounts, and never ever click on suspicious links or open unknown or unexpected attachments. Protecting yourself from these risks is an essential part of social media privacy tips.

7. Stay in the Know: Stay informed about the latest privacy and security threats on social media, and educate yourself about best practices for staying safe online. Maintain your secondary online Hushed phone number and regularly check privacy guides online forums to stay up-to-date on the latest developments in digital security.