Securely, Social Media
While
the popularity of social networking sites like Twitter, Facebook and Instagram
have grown exponentially in recent years so too has the intelligence of the “bad
guys” of the internet; such as hackers and people seeking to steal other’s
identities. With that in mind it is important to ensure that the profiles you
create on these networks are secure.
Image from: makeseoeasy.net
In addition,
as a result of the social networking explosion organizations both big and small
have needed to develop social media policies for its employees to abide by.
Although some companies have run into issues of violating section 7* of the
NLRA (National Labor Relations Act) concepts that every social media policy
should have include maintaining company confidentiality of trade secrets and
private for confidential information the need to be respectful and fair to
fellow associates, customers, members, or suppliers and restrictions of using
social networks while at work and on work equipment (Herrin, 2012).
Your Social Media Security Checklist
This
video gives a quick reference of three important things to do to ensure your
security through your use of social media…
To
ensure you are operating securely through your social networks you should…
1. Be sure to have updated antivirus protection software
on your computer (or other smart devices): Hackers can still send viruses to
your computer through your social networking sites; these are often disguised
in messages from your “friends” with shortened hyperlinks that hide the real
web address.
2. This leads me to my second
point which is to second-guess messages
from your “friends”: Just as your profile can be hacked, so can your
friends and once their account is hacked, hackers will use their account to get
to you.
3. Always
check your privacy settings: this
is especially important because social networking sites can change their
privacy settings at any time. It’s also equally important because the
information you post is owned by the social networking site you post it to (DoD
Social Networking training module).
4. Less
is secure:
Don’t give too
much information about yourself and your whereabouts. For instance if you post
that you will be out of town for a week on vacation someone could easily take
that as a tip and break into your home while you are gone (DoD Social
Networking training module).
5. Beware
of GPS: Be
cautious when downloading apps that use GPS to automatically post your location
to your profile. Allowing people to know your exact location makes you vulnerable
to physical harm.
6. Do
Not Post Personal Information:
To maintain truly secure social networking profiles you’ll want to avoid
posting your email address, phone number, birth year, hometown, employer,
educational background, and family members as hackers can use this information
to fill out paperwork with your information (DoD Social Networking training
module).
Making
the Change
Taking
poor security measures on your social media outlets can lead to hackers,
identity theft, property theft, and even physical harm. Consider this: 24% of Americans say they are not at all confident in their
ability to use privacy settings and 15% of Americans have never checked their
social networking privacy and security account settings (internetsafety101.org).
If you are one of those people that have not taken the time to adjust your
privacy settings and review the policies of the social networking sites you use
I urge you to do so now (See below for links to check your current social media
security). You might be surprised at what you find.
Take a look at this video from internet
prankster, Jake Vale; it might seem funny in the video but it really shows how
easily someone can physically find you and information about you through your
social networks.
Security Check
Blogger
(blog): https://support.google.com/blogger/answer/42673?hl=en
Facebook: http://www.yahoo.com/tech/you-better-watch-out-how-to-set-up-your-facebook-70505754667.html
* Section 7 of the NLRA establishes that employees
may confer with one another about their wages and other terms of employment and
may take ”concerted” action in an effort to improve their working conditions (Burke,
2013)
References
Burke, L. (2013, August 13). The
nlrb strikes down employer policies on social media and the confidentiality of
complaint investigations. Retrieved from
http://www.insideprivacy.com/social-media/the-nlrb-strikes-down-employer-policies-on-social-media-and-the-confidentiality-of-complaint-investi/
Cluley, G. (2012). Sophos security
threat report - social networks [Web]. Retrieved from http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJCDSxQZGYw
Herrin, B. (2012, June). National
labor relations board posts template social media policy. Retrieved from
http://www.legalhimformation.com/articles/pdfs/HIM2012-06.pdf
Social media statistics. (n.d.). Retrieved from http://www.internetsafety101.org/Socialmediastats.htm
Vale, J. (Performer) (2013). Social
media experiment [Web]. Retrieved from
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5P_0s1TYpJU
