A recent report by Statista shows 82 percent of the United States population had a social media account. This approximates 223 million U.S. social media users as of 2020. This popularity has made social media and other messaging platforms great targets for malicious individuals. In this article, we present to you 7 ways to safeguard yourself on social media.
Strong And Secure Passwords
Make it a habit to use strong and secure passwords on all your accounts and devices. This is very important especially to prevent the installation of spy apps. Spy apps make it possible to view private Instagram profiles for example. Your girlfriend can do this to monitor your DM. However, if you set a strong security code and change it often, it becomes almost impossible for them to do so.
Enforce Tough Security Measures
New ways to hack social media accounts are being worked on and discovered frequently. Setting up a strong password and forgetting won’t cut it. You need to take a proactive approach by enforcing tougher security measures such as 2FA, biometric and face authentication. Some social media apps and platforms will suggest password updates or force you to do the same.
Protecting Devices Used To Access Social Media
People often fail to secure all the devices they use to access their social media accounts. It is important to ensure all your computers, smartphones, tablets, etc are secured. Attacks come from all angles and having an unsecured device compromises your defenses. Someone can easily install a spy app on your other device and read your text messages or do so much more.
Manage Your Friends And Followers
Sometimes we are flooded with friend requests and it’s easy to just add anyone. This should be avoided because you might be inviting predators and scammers into your life. Ensure your friend list is populated only with family, friends, and perhaps colleagues. This filters out potentially dangerous individuals from having insight into your life. We also recommend going through the list and updating it periodically.
Customize Your Privacy Settings
Most social media users are not familiar with the privacy policies and settings. Social media channels allow users to customize their privacy settings to control who sees what. This is a great place to optimize your social media protection but is often ignored. Their location of websites or app menus doesn’t make it easier either. However, If you are keen on keeping your social media secure we recommend making the effort.
Keep Sensitive Personal Information Private
If you have something you do not want to share on social media, it is recommended you keep it private. While you can still upload it and never publish it, it might not stay private if your account is hacked! We recommend not uploading private information or media at all. We also do not recommend sharing privately with your friends. For example, if you send a photo via Instagram, they can re-distribute it via WhatsApp which is less restrictive.
Summary
There are countless other methods and tools you can employ to keep yourself safe on social media. We recommend starting with the above 6 as they give an easy and proven way to secure your accounts and devices.