SUMMARY:
- The risks of social networking
- Tips for securing your social networks
- Protect access to your account
- Check your privacy settings
- Control your publications
- Be careful who you talk to
- Control third-party applications
- Regularly monitor your account log-in activity
- Deactivate your account if you stop using it
Social networks have become an integral part of our lives.
Whether it's Facebook, Instagram, Twitter or TikTokWe use them to keep in touch with friends and family, share our passions, discover new information and entertain ourselves. However, it's important not to neglect the security of our accounts and personal data. Indeed, hackers, cybercriminals and malicious individuals are constantly on the lookout for loopholes to exploit our vulnerabilities.
The risks of social networking
The risks associated with using social networks are many and varied. Among the most important are :
- Account hacking : Your personal information, such as your name, e-mail address, telephone number and date of birth, can be stolen and used for fraudulent purposes, such as identity theft or creating false accounts.
💡In 2021, the personal data of over 533 million users is exposed online following a Facebook failure.
- Identity theft: Someone can impersonate you on social networks and use your name and image to damage your reputation or defraud your friends and family.
💡 In 2020, a woman fell victim to identity theft on Instagram and lost over 20,000 euros to this kind of scam.
- Cyberbullying: You may be the victim of harassment, hate messages or threats on social networks.
💡 In 2022, a study revealed that 42% of French teenagers were victims of cyberbullying.
- Spreading false information: Misinformation, rumors and propaganda can be spread on social networks without your knowledge, which can have a negative impact on society.
💡 In 2020, false information about COVID-19 was widely circulated on social networks, with a negative impact on public health.
Tips for securing your social networks
Fortunately, there are many steps you can take to secure your social networks and minimize the risks. Here are a few practical tips:
1. Protect access to your account
- Activate 2-factor authentication (2FA). This option adds an extra layer of security by requiring you to enter an additional code in addition to your password when logging in.
- Never give your login details to anyone. Never share your passwords, PIN codes or other login information with friends, family or strangers.
- Opt for a private account to control access to your content and determine who can view it.
2. Check your privacy settings
- Limit the visibility of your publications and personal information. Choose who can see your photos, friends, publications and contact information.
- Deactivate the geolocation of your publications. You don't need to share your exact location with all your friends and subscribers.
- Think twice before sharing sensitive information. Never post sensitive information on social networks, such as your social security number, business e-mail address or bank details.
3. Control your publications
- Think before you publish anything. Once you've posted something on social networks, it can be difficult to remove it completely.
- Don't share compromising information. Never publish photos or videos that could put you in danger or damage your reputation.
- Check the privacy settings for each publication. You can choose to share each post with your friends only, with your friends and their friends, or with the public.
4. Be careful who you talk to
- Don't communicate with people you don't know. Beware of suspicious friend requests and messages from unknown people.
- Never click on suspicious links. Links from unknown people can direct you to malicious websites that can infect your device with malware or steal your personal information.
- Report suspicious content. If you see suspicious or inappropriate content on social networks, don't hesitate to report it to the platform concerned.
5. Control third-party applications
- Limit third-party applications' access to your personal data. Don't give third-party applications more access than they need.
Examples:
👉🏻 Your GPS position
👉🏻 Access to your personal photos and videos
👉🏻 Access to your microphone
👉🏻 Access to your contacts...
- Revoke access to applications you no longer use. If you no longer use a third-party application, remove the access it has to your personal data.
- Check the permissions granted to each application.
This is the case here, for the Snapchat application. It only has access à the photo and a selection of pre-selected photos.
Geographical position, microphone and contact access are disabled.
6. Regularly monitor your account log-in activity
Most social media platforms offer features that allow you to check active sessions on your accountfrom the various devices you use to connect. Get into the habit of checking this information regularly. If you find a session or connection that you don't recognize or that you no longer use, disconnect it immediately. Ehen in doubt, consider the possibility of a piracy attempt and modiimmediatent your password passe.
📸 Plet's take the example ofInstagram:
To check this out, go to the "Settings and privacy".
Then in "Account Area",
go to the "Password and security",
then in "Connection locations".
So you can check the various connections to your account and disconnect devices if certain connections seem suspicious.
7. Deactivate your account if you stop using it
In order to avoid any unauthorized recovery of your data by third parties, or undesirable use of your account that could lead to identity theft, we recommend that you deactivate your account if you stop using it.
So that social networks have become an indispensable part of our daily livesit is crucial not to underestimate the potential risks associated with it. From account hacking to spreading false information and cyberbullying, the threats are many and varied. Yet by following a few simple but effective tips, you can greatly enhance the security of your online presence. By adopting a proactive approach social network security, you can take full advantage of their benefits while at the same time protecting your personal information and your online identity.
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