Jayne Augoye writes on why you need to censor information you share on social media sites.
Social media sites now provide the fastest means to interact with other users on the Internet. Recent statistics reveal that 35 per cent of adults on the Internet now have a profile on at least one social networking site, and 51 per cent have more than one. Furthermore, it says that three-quarter of users between the ages of 18 and 24 have an online profile.
The Pew Research Centre found that 89 per cent of these people use the sites to keep up with friends, 57 per cent to make plans with friends and 49 to make new friends.
Popular websites like Facebook, MySpace, LinkedIn, Flickr, Blogspot, and Xanga make it easy to build a web of friends and acquaintances, and share with them photos, whereabouts, contact information, and interests.
In spite of their importance, however, there is the need for self-censorship in terms of the kinds of materials you put on the web. If you are not thoughtful about your posts, you will put your safety or your future at risk.
For one, the words and images you post on the Internet may be available for years. As a young folk, your profile may be viewed by future employers and school admission officials. Ensure the documents do not also fall into hand of thieves, spammers, and stalkers.
From Facebook to MySpace, LinkedIn, Friendster, Urban Chat and Black Planet, more than 100 Web sites provide the platform for persons eager to share their thoughts and feelings with millions of others all over the world.
With the rate at which information is shared, especially with total strangers met online, social media experts are quick to warn that there is such a thing as sharing too much information.
Because it is easy to get carried away by the trappings of a popular social media site like Facebook, they say what ever a user chooses to share is there for all to see if you don’t limit who can view your information.
The same study by Pew Research found that 40 per cent of users have open access to their profiles, allowing anyone to view their information. The remaining 60 per cent restrict access to friends, family and colleagues. To enhance security, media experts have come up with a list of things you should never share on a social media site.
Personal conversations
On Facebook, users can send personal messages or post notes, images or videos to another user’s wall. The wall is there for all to see, while messages are between the sender and the receiver, just like an e-mail. Personal and private matters should never be shared on your wall. If it is not something you would feel comfortable sharing in person with extended family, acquaintances, work colleagues or strangers, then you should not share it on your Facebook wall.
Social plans
Sharing your social plans for everybody to see is not a good idea. Unless you are planning a big party and inviting all the users you are connected to, it will only make your other friends feel left out. There are also some security issues at stake here. If you’re planning a party or an outing with a group of friends, send a personal “e-vite” for their eyes only and nobody is the wiser. If you’re trying to cast a wide net by throwing out an idea for a social outing, just remember that anyone who has access to your profile sees it.
Linking sites
With 51 per cent of social network users taking advantage of more than one site, there is bound to be some crossover from one to the other, especially if you have the sites linked. You may post something you find innocuous on Facebook, but then it’s linked to your LinkedIn work profile and you’ve put your job at risk. If you link your various profiles together, be aware that what you post in one world is available to the others.
Company information
You may be dying to tell the world about your new work promotion, but if it is news that could be advantageous to one of your company’s competitors, then it’s not something you should share. News of a planned expansion or a big project role and anything else about your workplace should be kept private. Sophos, a security software company, found that 63 per cent of companies were afraid of what their employees were choosing to share on social networking sites. If you want to message it out, be selective and send private e-mails.
Photos of your kids
Social networking sites are a common place for people to share pictures of their families, but if you re one of the 40 per cent of users who don’t restrict access to your profile, then those pictures are there for everyone to see. It is a sad fact, but there are a lot of predators who use the Internet to stalk their prey. If you post pictures of your family and couple that with information like, “My husband is out of town this weekend” or “Little Johnny is old enough to stay at home by himself now,” then your children’s safety could be at risk. Just like with other private matters, send family photos only to a select groups of trusted friends and colleagues who you know won’t share them.
Your address and phone number
File this one under security risk. If you share your address and phone number on a social networking site, you open yourself up to threats of identity theft and other personal dangers like burglaries. If you post that you’re going on vacation and you have your address posted, then everyone knows you have an empty house. Burglars could rid your home of anything of value. Even just posting your phone number gives people with Internet savvy easy access to your address. Reverse lookup services can supply anyone with your home address if you can provide the phone number.
Your password
This one really seems like a no-brainer, but if it didn’t happen, then Facebook probably wouldn’t feel the need to list it in the No. 1 slot on its list of things you shouldn’t share. Even sharing the password with a friend so he or she can log on and check something for you can be a risk. This is especially true with couples who feel like there’s enough trust to share these kinds of things. If you have kept that information private to begin with, you could simply move on with your life.
Password Hints
Most Web sites that contain secure personal information require a password also have at least one password hint in case you forget. It typically goes like this: you sign up for something like online banking and you get a login and password and then choose a security question for when you forget your password. What’s the name of your first pet? What’s your mother’s maiden name? Think before you post anything that could compromise this information.
Anything you don’t want shared
You can select all the privacy settings you want on social networking sites, but the fact is that if you post it, it has the potential to be seen by someone you don’t want seeing it. So when you sign up to find out what sitcom star you most identify with, the makers of that poll now have access to your personal information. It’s anybody’s guess where it goes from there.
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