Top 5 Security Issues with Social Media

How is putting photos/videos of my kids on social media a security threat you may ask.. Well considering you are using real time social media applications such as Snap Chat, Instagram and Facebook this information is available to a large audience and the captured information is where the real threat is, for example location, exact time, your surroundings, what your doing, even information about your home and if you are at home... . This information in the wrong hands can be dangerous and indeed a threat to those you love.

Taking photos of your kids, although we think this is harmless have you thought about their rights not to have their photos shared amongst your connections? We are the guinea pigs of social media of course and many of us don't know the boundaries yet with social media, Facebook is 12 years old now.

I would advise people to lock down all social media accounts accordingly, lighten your audience for established and confirmed close and trusted circle of friends and family especially when sharing pictures/videos of your little ones.

We all like a good rant now and again, some more than others and of course we have interests and hobbies outside of work however its important that we keep them separate. If you are someone whom is outspoken then you really need to look at how you manage social media better for example set rules for yourself; here are a few rules for keeping work and social media separate

1. Don't add any current work acquaintances to your social media networks
2. Only add work colleagues after you have left the company, this way you keep your business and personal persona separate such as political and personal interests completely off the scope.
3. Make sure your Social Media Profile is not searchable on google, you can adjust this feature in Facebook also
4. Do not create a social media account with a business email address unless you are using this strictly for business.
5. Alternative Naming conventions is also useful for throwing curve balls to unwanted attention, for example using variations of how a name is spelt, Irish people tend to use the Traditional Gaelic version of their names because its harder for search engines and people to identify you by your business -  daily real name, remember search engines function is to collect data, this data can be intrinsically scrutinised by other crawlers for matching data and building profiles of people.

Connecting your personal photographs to social media may seem like a good thing for example using the storage like a backup however there can be security issues for example many people take photos of personal data like bank details and other pins/codes, by having an auto sync this is uploaded to social media having no idea that your account is vulnerable from hacks or penetration something as silly as losing an unlocked phone or leaving your browser sessions open or cached credentials on a PC leaves you vulnerable to say the least. 

You should presume by now that any employer or recruitment agent will try and track you, to find out as much personal detail about you prior to putting you forward for any role. Recruitment Consultants are wizards at Google, therefore if you use social media and its open to google or alternatives make sure your information is not detrimental to your application. Social Media started out really innocent however the tables have turned, like all things that become monetized and profitable it becomes very sketchy to say the least.

My recommendations is to limit the social media platforms you are using, limit your audience and lock down accounts. I am happy to demonstrate how to complete this if demand is there. When it comes to snooping  for personal information it would amaze you as to the lengths people/business will go to socially profile you.

The great invention of the World Wide Web and Social Media left us all thinking 'ain't this great, we can say what we want and its fine... well No, not really. People in the last few years have been held to account by law for the things they have implied or stated on social media, some people even sent to jail and others given heavy fines and court appearances. Its important to be rational in the realm of social media because its being monitored due to many good reasons for example cyber bullying and hate canvasing. Know the difference in broadcasting an opinion, hold back on making personal commentary regarding other people due to defamation laws, its always good to start a sentence with 'In my opinion' :). although its not overly policed I do think care needs to be taken especially when emotions are high, we have all been there, the social media guinea pigs.