While Jan. 28, marks the 15th annual Data Privacy Day, each of us faces privacy concerns on a daily basis. If our private information becomes public, it can affect our credit ratings, employment options and even our safety.
This article from the Center for Internet Security focuses on steps you can take to maintain privacy on social media. If you’re one of the lucky few who can live your life unplugged from Facebook, TikTok and the like, you’re in the clear. If you find yourself among the majority of us who either want or need to engage with others via social media, then here are some tips and tricks to stay safe and secure.
First, protect your accounts with long, unique passphrases, use multi-factor authentication, and update everything, i.e. the operating systems on your computer, smartphones, apps and internet-connected devices.
You’ll also want to reduce your attack surface. What does that mean? Your attack surface is the sum of all the ways your information can be compromised. Every account with your personal data or app with a security flaw adds to it. You can reduce your potential vulnerability by deleting online accounts you no longer use and uninstalling apps you no longer need so they can’t be used against you. With fewer things to manage and update, you can focus on protecting what is actually important.
Finally tweak your privacy settings, and don’t let your photos betray you. The photographs you upload to social media or share elsewhere online can expose your face, your address, the valuables you keep at home, the car you drive, and more. Keep this in mind before you post an image that might tell a stranger things you’d rather keep to yourself. Avoid sharing anything with your house number, license plate, or documents in view.
For your kid’s safety, watch what they share online as well.
Go deep and learn more in the Center for Internet Security article. I have the link above, as well as in my TNT Report newsletter. Find it at jimperson.com/tnt and look for the Jan. 21 edition.
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Here are some tips about updating and maintaining your privacy settings. Protect all of your accounts with long, unique passphrases and multi-factor authentication. For more, check out my Tips Tuesday article. Share on XTNT Report
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