December 22, 2024

How You Can Stay Safe on social media?

Today, more than 79% of people stay active on social media but most of them have no idea of staying safe on social media.

  • They share data loosely and use poorly protected passwords.
  • Every year millions of people become the victim of social media account hacks.
  • Their personal information gets stolen for fell prey to online scams.

It is quite important to learn how to stay safe on social media due to the increasing prevalence of integrated payment systems, phone verification, and touch technology.

When a hacker steals an account, he is likely to have access to financial information, home or work address, and other personal information that can be used for stealing the identity.

Stay Safe On Social Media

With the help of these tips, you can surely stay safe on social media and use it without any fear.

  1. Make use of privacy and security settings

With the help of these settings, you can keep your information protected from social media phishing and scams.

  • Today, social media accounts offer a new form of security and privacy settings through which users can use two-factor authentication for their accounts.
  • Through the above point, they can secure who can see information and can tighten social media safety measures.
  • Facebook has come up with Facebook safety measures with the help of controls that allow users to update how different groups of friends can view their information.

So, which information do they need to keep private?

  1. Information of location 
  2. Home address
  3. Phone numbers and e-mail
  1. Keep strong passwords and secure accounts

Strong passwords can act as a shield for protecting online accounts from being hacked and can help a great deal in terms of identity theft, social media scams, etc.

Tips for a strong password:

  • A mix of letters, numbers, and signs
  • Must have a minimum of 10 characters
  • Consider changing your password after every six months.

People can even make use of a password manager, which has the capability to handle this type of security for you, and with this, you don’t need to remember this password.

Also, it is advisable to use a different type of password for each account so that you can make sure that if someone gets into this, they don’t have access to all the information.

  1. Manage friends and followers

Everyone should be careful with whose request they are accepting. For instance, if strangers have added you, then they may be trying to scam you.

If you trust people who are on your list, then there is not much of a serious thing.

What do users need to stay away from?

  • Accounts that have no information
  • Accounts that have a few friends
  • Accounts that have started sending you messages with no actual aim
  • Accounts that begin sending you links and promising things

Today, platforms like Facebook and Instagram are investing a lot to make sure that their users stay protected from bots and social media scams.

However, it is advisable for the users to consider some amount of caution while accepting friend requests and interacting with others on social media.

  1. Watch out for scams and phishing

Scams and phishing are the most common issues on social media platforms today. These types of links are an attempt to steal either your identity or money or to work towards spreading a bot or virus.

The tactics for scam and phishing include:

  • Chain letters
  • Request for money from friends who have added you to their new accounts
  • Links to click-bait articles that take you off the network
  • Short URLs that can be used for hiding malware and viruses
  • Sudden interest that asks for money

Though some of them are harmless, others can be used for stealing a great amount of information and money. That’s why it is important to be careful and cross-check things before clicking anything.

  1. Research before clicking or sharing data

To really stay safe on social media, users must do their homework before clicking or sharing digital content. This means you need to pay attention to what is being shared, evaluate sources, and look at things that look suspicious.

  • If you see something suspicious, then it is better to know about that website through Google search rather than clicking on it.
  • If are being motivated to fill a form for a quiz, then you must look if the quiz is reliable or not.

In other words, you must not hesitate to look at things that are suspicious or even questionable.

The Bottom Line

We all know that the internet is quite a dangerous place and so is social media. It is best to take time for protecting your data through security tools and apps that are available in the market.

Also, it is better to review your social media account from time to time.

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