Social Media has transformed our lives dramatically. With the help of Facebook we can remain connected with all our friends and even long lost acquaintances easily via a simple search. Twitter is so powerful that it can topple entire governments and usher in regime changes. But the use of social media comes with a hidden caveat, the data you publish on your profiles is permanent and can be misused.
Through your Facebook profile you offer a glimpse into your entire life. Any random person can piece together your lifestyle simply by looking at your profile page, for it contains information about where you work, your current city, your education, your friends and your family members. In today's data driven age this is a treasure trove of information for any "Social Engineer". Who is a Social Engineer? A person who is capable of misusing the information you furnish on social media for fraudulent purposes.
Information divulged on Facebook can also be easily misinterpreted by prospective employers who conduct an online search during the background verification process.
The photos you share of your family members and your loved ones can be saved to the harddrives of vicious nefarious entities called "stalkers". When looked at from this perspective, sharing is a daring and risky endeavour!
Twitter is an entirely different paradigm. In several countries you can be held accountable for vocally voicing your revolutionary tweets against any establishment. This has led to jail time for several Tweeple in many countries where free speech is repressed.
How to stay clear of trouble while maximally utilizing social media?
In Facebook, turn on profile picture guard and set the privacy category of all information you share to Friends only. Ensure that you approve only the friend requests of people you personally know.
In Twitter, refrain from sounding the bugle at all times and utilize the retweet feature with a disclaimer that the views are your own.
Social Media is veritably a two edged sword. Caution is the word when it comes to its use!
Through your Facebook profile you offer a glimpse into your entire life. Any random person can piece together your lifestyle simply by looking at your profile page, for it contains information about where you work, your current city, your education, your friends and your family members. In today's data driven age this is a treasure trove of information for any "Social Engineer". Who is a Social Engineer? A person who is capable of misusing the information you furnish on social media for fraudulent purposes.
Information divulged on Facebook can also be easily misinterpreted by prospective employers who conduct an online search during the background verification process.
The photos you share of your family members and your loved ones can be saved to the harddrives of vicious nefarious entities called "stalkers". When looked at from this perspective, sharing is a daring and risky endeavour!
Twitter is an entirely different paradigm. In several countries you can be held accountable for vocally voicing your revolutionary tweets against any establishment. This has led to jail time for several Tweeple in many countries where free speech is repressed.
How to stay clear of trouble while maximally utilizing social media?
In Facebook, turn on profile picture guard and set the privacy category of all information you share to Friends only. Ensure that you approve only the friend requests of people you personally know.
In Twitter, refrain from sounding the bugle at all times and utilize the retweet feature with a disclaimer that the views are your own.
Social Media is veritably a two edged sword. Caution is the word when it comes to its use!
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