There is a new show on Netflix called ‘You” and it has an important lesson for all of us to lock down our Social media. I am a huge believer that social media is a wonderful tool when used in the correct way.
The girl on the show, Beck, is being stalked by Joe, who she met once in a book shop. After getting her name from her credit card, he was able to find her social media profile, see where she likes to hang out, and even to get her address from the geo location on one of said pictures. Joe was then able to use this information to stalk her.
Now I’m not trying to scare you and say you will become prey to a stalker, but tightening up security on your pictures and posts is a good idea, as well as making sure you don’t post information which could give out your address to someone. For example, you should avoid uploading pictures stood outside the front of your own house, or of your car at your home address.
The best way to check your profile is to make sure there is a symbol of 2 people by your posts and not the globe. The globe indicates this post is public and anyone can see it. The 2 people mean it is friends only, therefore your friends on Facebook will see it, but no one else.
It is a good idea to go into location services and turn off permissions for all social media platforms. This will then decrease the likelihood that someone will be able to find your location.
Instagram and Twitter profiles require to either be locked down all the time, or not at all. Again, it is safer to lock it down to friends only.
The only exceptions to the above rules should be if youre trading as a business, in which case you should have a page set up instead of a profile, and don’t share any sensitive private details on there.
It should go without saying, but still people do it, but do not send pictures of your genitals to other people on social media or even privately as they could end up online. Revenge porn is increasing, and as I’m sure you’re aware, these things are hard to remove once they’re out there as people can easily screen shot things now.
If your children are old enough to have social media (the minimum age to have a facebook account is 13 years old) then please ensure you regularly check their accounts to make sure that they’re being safe, and talk to them about the dangers of talking to strangers online and over sharing information.
I don’t want this to sound like a lecture, but i want you all to stay as safe as possible online. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask.