We urge you to finally stop sharing your sensitive data freely on the internet. And if you don't know what those are, read this article.
Most social media users know that the companies behind the messaging platforms track you to see your habits and deliver targeted ads to you.
But things are not that simple. There are other users who can follow you to find an opportunity to take advantage of you.
And unfortunately, because social networking works aggressively on the human psyche, it is particularly liked by the world, with the result that users often cross the line.
Social networks also have a negative effect as people tend to show their best or most emotional moments, so seeing the highlights of everyone else's life makes you feel like your own life isn't so amazing
In the worst form of this negative effect, malice and hatred for your fellow man will come out of you, and you will probably want to commit vile acts against him.
Because many users give out more information than they realize, which is detrimental to their security, let's look at some important types of information you should NEVER share on social media.
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Travel plans and places you are now
Shovel toy on sand, beach summer and vacation concepts with kid
Think twice before bragging about your amazing upcoming vacation or posting photos while on a trip. You never know who might see this information and use it for malicious purposes.
If, for example, your neighbor (who isn't such a nice guy) sees it, or anyone who knows where you live and has malicious intent, knowing you're miles away for two weeks is an open invitation to rob your house.
As a safer alternative, share details or photos about your trip after you return. It might seem less exciting, but it protects you because you're not advertising to the world that you're away from home for a long time.
This extends to posting photos of your home. Any photo of where you live gives people more pieces of the puzzle to help them determine where you live, where the vulnerable spots are at the entrance, windows, etc.
I've personally written quite a few snarky replies to my online friends when I see them post where they are now. Answers of the type “Is there no one at home? Can I fuck without fear?".
Block location data
Social networking apps use your geographic location (from your IP address or your phone's GPS function) to allow you to tag your posts with where you are.
Before you post, check if the site automatically adds your location data and turn it off before posting. Most of the time, there's no reason to share your location with everyone who can see the post.
Depending on where you share photos from, people may also have access to photo metadata that shows more details about where the photo was taken. Therefore, clearing photo metadata before uploading is a wise idea.
This consideration also extends to your physical address or phone numbers. You should never share your name, address and phone number on a public channel as there is no way to know who might have the information.
I recently received a message from an unknown mobile phone number and immediately realized that I received it by typing the recipient's number incorrectly. However, by doing a search for the sender's number on Google (I was also curious) I immediately found his name and his area of residence, and in a second search also other information, such as where he studied, his interests, etc.
I replied with a message to the sender stating his name and that he has made a mistake. I didn't get a second reply back, but I believe there was ice cream left.
Identification Information
Sites like Facebook are full of valuable data for people who use social engineering to steal your social media identity. You should always avoid sharing information that can be used to verify your identity, such as your full date of birth.
Read: 9 types of Social engineering attacks
Never share photos of your driver's license, passport, ID, or credit card that contain personal information you don't want to make public.
It's also vital to overlook the 'fun quizzes' that make the rounds on social media every now and then. These ask you to answer questions like where you went to school, what was the name of your first pet, etc.
These types of questions are often used as security questions to protect your online accounts. Fortunately, these weak security questions are being phased out on many sites, but they are still a potential backdoor in many cases.
Publishing these answers could allow someone to hack into your account. Stay safe from social engineering by keeping this information private.
The concept of disclosure also includes the illegal photocopying of your identity by hoteliers, the various private companies that have a type of security, and in general by any non-state body (except banks and mobile phone companies).
Just don't let them make a photocopy of your ID, because they get bored of copying your details. They can only read it for identity confirmation and note its basic details.
Personal complaints and rants
Social media is not the place to air your grievances. If you want to complain about your boss, colleagues or relatives, social media is the worst place to do it.
Someone will probably see it and inform the concerned person, leaving you in a difficult situation.
It is common for companies and governments to check your social media history when you apply for a job, license or similar. Do yourself a favor and don't make posts that make you look like an obnoxious person.
Self-incriminating evidence
We imagine you've heard of thieves who boasted about their exploits online and got caught. Or for burglars who called the police because they were robbed.
While we don't condone breaking the law in any way, we think it's downright stupid to break it and then leave your details on social media for all to see.
And the worst part? Chances are you will see some truly heinous crimes being accepted on Facebook or Twitter by a section of people. Of course, you may well meet people who won't care if you've been drinking and then drunk driving or speeding on the highway at more than the speed limit.
Some even share photos of their drugs, their illegal weapons or the cash they have stolen.
Do everyone (including yourself) a favor by never posting anything like this on social media. The few likes you might get are not worth ruining your reputation or even going to jail for committing a crime. What is certain is that you will be accused of reduced perception and intelligence.
Accurate new purchases
Many people love to share pictures of their new "toys" on social media. I admit, I've done that too.
Once you've gotten a new phone, laptop, car, TV, jewelry, or whatever, you shouldn't publicize your purchase on social media.
The most important reason is practical: telling the world you have a shiny new game could result in someone wanting to steal it or take advantage of you in some way.
An extreme case would be to announce that you won the lottery. If some people think you are well off, they may try to use it to their advantage.
Personal advice
We've all seen people seek cures for medical issues or legal advice on social media. No matter how confident you may be, it's in everyone's best interest (including your own) not to give medical or legal advice to people over social media. This is true even if you are a doctor or a lawyer.
The bottom line is that you simply do not know (and cannot know) all the facts. If someone is sick or in trouble, they should seek professional help.
This also applies to advice on exercise, weight loss, nutrition, finances, relationships and other sensitive topics. You're not going to get the whole picture from a social media post.
It's best to keep quiet about it all, because if you give advice that ends up hurting someone, they could potentially take legal action against you.
Fraudulent giveaways and contests
Social networks are fertile ground for companies to run giveaways and contests, mainly because it's so easy to click “like” or “share” and not think twice. Although there are many legitimate gifts on Facebook, you should be more careful before clicking on them.
If you're constantly sharing posts with giveaways, contests, and invitations to Facebook games, you're probably annoying your friends.
More importantly, some of these so-called social media contests are actually scams in disguise. You could unknowingly spread malware or trick people into giving away sensitive data.
To be safe, you should be wary of any posts that strongly encourage “sharing” and ask for personal information.
This is also consistent with the posts of missing children and adults that some unscrupulous site made public, without checking first and in fact sometimes the person may have already been found!.
It's not the best thing when your family is looking for their man, putting his picture up in the air and even though everything is fine, his picture is still going viral on the internet, left and right. Especially for minors.
If you want to help, make a notification from official government sites or from the Smile of the Child, which take care to delete everything after finding it and by extension your own notification as well. In other words, they are not crows for clickbait. Plus it's illegal to post other people's information without their permission.
Sensitive inside information
You should be careful about exposing confidential work information on social media. If you know sensitive details of your job, don't share them anywhere, especially online.
Talking about someone who is going to be fired next week, the company's strategy for the new year and other confidential information can get you into big trouble.
This also applies to your family. Don't post sensitive information about your family events that others don't need to know. "It's in the house, not in the town", said our ancient ancestors.
Anything you don't want to make public
This is a general rule and covers anything not stated above. If there's one rule to follow on social media, it's this: never publish anything you wouldn't want to see in the papers.
On the internet, once something is published, it is almost impossible to remove it completely. Even if you set your posts to "friends only," there's no way to know for sure who has seen, saved, or shared your posts and photos.
For example, someone could always send a screenshot to another person who can't “officially” see your post. Trust me, I've received a friend request from a girl whose purpose was to see the posts of her ex, who we're friends with.
So if you post something today and regret it two years later, you might be able to delete it from your account, but it can never be completely deleted from the internet.
In conclusion
While social media can be a fun way to instantly share your beliefs and experiences with your friends, online sharing has many disadvantages compared to in-person discussion.
It's easy to go overboard and share too much information about yourself, not realize the audience that might see your posts, or make other mistakes.
Voluntarily sharing your information online reduces your privacy and can open back doors to your security. It is wise to be careful about what you share.
