Some Vital Social Networking Security Checklists
When social networking sites had not become so common, there are little treats when people visit websites but now people tend to forget themselves when they visit websites. They have forgotten that there is an unseen individual who is bent on stealing their identities as they move from one website to another. In this article, I want to tell you about something that works. I want to tell you all some of the precautions that you need to follow as you move from one website to another. What I am about to tell you will help you stay safe online.
Let’s start the discussion now.
#1 Strong password
This is one of the major headaches that people you to have when they are online. There are account holders our there that you can easily get their password. So e make use of their with names or other common passwords that fly around.
When it comes to your social networking site, you have to use a strong password. Your password must be a minimum of eight characters, with capital letters and special characters like comma, underscore, dash among others.
This will make it a little bit difficult for a hacker to crack your password. You should also cultivate the habit of changing your password regularly as well.
#2 Read Privacy Policy
In my own part of the world, this is what we are not used to. Before you commit yourself to any social networking sites, you have to make sure you have taken the time to read and understand their privacy policy. This will also give you an idea of what they can do to your data.
#3 Nothing Personal
Another area where I always had an issue with people has to do with the posting of personal stuff on Facebook and other social media sites. Some give too much information in order to show off. Some are so crazy that you could detect what is happening in their relationships. This is the stupidity of the highest order. Be warned and warm your friends and relatives not to discuss personal issues on social media sites.
#4 Make your profile private
There is a need for you to also make your profile private. You have to adjust your user profile in such a way that those that are not on your friend list will not be able to see your profile. You can also limit what any of your friends can see depending on the level of trust you have in such friends.
#5 Be careful
I need to warn you again. You have to be very careful about what you post on the internet. This may not have to do with the internet alone. You must run away from comments and contents that will reveal too much about yourself on the internet.
#6 Third-party permissions
Another important fact is that you have to be very careful as regards the type of applications that you allow to access your social media sites. Some of us are fond of allowing applications to post on our social media platforms when we are so lazy to sign up on their sites. Some of these applications might be harvesting data and personal information and be making them available to hackers.
#7 Friends only
You have to make sure that you are only accepting friends request from people you know. if you cannot remember how you know such an individual, it is advisable for you to turn down such requests.
#8 Limited Information
You have to be careful that you only share limited information on your profile. After that, you need to make sure that it is only your trusted friends that can see all the little information that you have decided to share on social media.
#9 Apply Privacy settings
There is a need for you to apply privacy settings so that only friends can view profile information. This will ensure that your data is not available to those that will use it to perpetrate crimes.
#10 Common verification
You also have to be sure that you are not using common verifications that can be guessed easily. Some of this common verification include the date of birth or mother’s maiden names.
#11 Be Psychological
There is a need for you to be alert when it comes to people you are meeting on social media sites. You have to think through before you provide a response to questions. You must be able to find out the true intentions of people before you respond to their questions.
#12 Restrict Access
If you have any personal video that you have uploaded to social media platforms, you have to make sure that it is only your friends that can see that video. This is to avoid a situation where the video falls into the wrong hands.
#13 Disable comment
Most at times, we get annoying comments in our comment box. We have instances when people get annoying comments and they start thinking of what to do to their comment box. In order to avoid cyberbullying, you may have to disable your comment so that no one will be able to comment on your posts.
#14 Avoid suspicious links
If there is one tool that creators of viruses use to spread the virus and steal personal information, it is unsolicited links. You have to make sure that you are not clicking on links that you are not aware of. Clicking on suspicious links can take you to websites where personal information will be stolen.
#15 Antivirus
There is a need for you to also install the latest antivirus on your device. It is not enough for you to install antivirus, you have to make sure you are always running full antivirus scan as well as updating the antivirus as at when due.
#16 Fake codec
There is a need for you to be extra careful when it comes to activating codes and other prompts that comes up on your system. Some of these codes can install malware that can do a lot of damages to your system.
Now for Parents and Teachers…
- Be open with kids; encourage and instruct them to seek permission before providing any details on social networking sites.
- Read the privacy policies of the sites before allowing children to use them.
- Consider keeping the computer in your own room instead of the children’s room.
- Instruct children to never respond to messages that are suggestive, obscene, belligerent, threatening or make them feel uncomfortable.
- Create your own account on the social network and spend some time on the network’s s site to familiarize yourself with social networking media.
- Create a cheat sheet with your child’s password, a list of his or her approved friends, and rules for how your child operates.
- Know children’s password, screen names, and account information; this will help in monitoring their activities.
- Instruct your child to add people to their “friends” list only if they know them in real life.
Now your take on this argument.
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