Billions of us all over the world use these sites to communicate with friends, share funny stuff, learn what the world thinks about certain issues and let everyone know what we think about things close to our heart. It’s safe to say that social media plays a big role in many people’s lives, but are they giving a little too much away on certain channels?

The issue of internet privacy from the government has been in the news lately. Worries about what the government and other powerful organisations can see what people get up to online persist, but when so much is shared on sites like Facebook, is it possible that millions of social media site users are being a little too open about themselves?

Locking it all away

Image: Wikimedia

On social media, people share information such as their hometown, occupation, marital status, address, phone number and even the names and images of their kids. All this information could prove to be valuable for cybercriminals looking to make a fast buck or trying to please some insane fantasy, which makes it imperative that anyone with a social media account should keep any personal info on show to a minimum.

It’s possible that some photos shared via social media could also have useful information. According to this article on Norton’s website, it’s worth putting considerably more thought into deciding which photos to share online. Photos can display sensitive information such as your street name, locational stamps, your car number plate or even the contents of your living rooms. That’s the sort of thing that would be valuable to someone looking to steal items of value or electronics, maybe.

Use the right settings

Most social media sites have privacy settings. They determine who can see profiles and who can’t. Trying to just share a hometown and name is usually enough, while being guarded about what to share in terms of images and personal whereabouts is more important. It’s worth thinking about which sites you use too, as some social media channels allow for greater privacy than others.

In association with Norton.

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