Today, 30 June is the ninth official celebration of Social Media Day. While it was created to celebrate the positive outcomes of social media, it's also a good time to ensure you're keeping your personal data safe online.
With the 2018 Global Digital suite of reports revealing that more than 3 billion people around the world use social media each month, and data breaches a reality, NordVPN shares the following six ways to make your social media profiles as private as possible...
1. Use strong, unique passwords
The most popular password is ‘password.’ If you're one of those, it's time to change your strategy. It's a good idea to use a combination of capital letters, numerals, letters, and punctuation. For example, if you live on Flower Road, you can make your password ‘fL0w3rR04d!’.
2. Use two-factor authentication
At the very least, go for login verification, which adds an extra security layer by requiring another authentication step after entering your password from an unknown device.
3. Beware of phishing scams
If you receive a message saying that your account has been hacked, beware of clicking a link to 'restore your account' as it's likely a fake email and a fake site.
4. Revoke access to third-party apps
Most of us use third-party apps for photo editing or gaming, but forget we've installed them after a while. Remember to revoke access to applications that are no longer in use.
5. Take care of your social media accounts
Check your Facebook, Twitter and Instagram privacy settings, as you can manage who can see your status updates, photos and check-ins and err on the side of caution by skipping geotags.
6. Use a VPN
If you log in to your social media accounts on a public Wi-Fi hotspot like during your commute to the office, you're putting your account security at risk. Rather use a VPN service to encrypt your internet data and protect your identity and personal information from hackers or identity thieves.
Go forth and use social media safely!
