For the most part, social media is a great tool. It allows us to stay in touch with friends, share information and ideas and even stay on top of the latest news stories.
But, because social media websites are so ingrained into our daily lives, we tend to forget that by using them, we’re voluntarily giving up our privacy, bit by bit.
However, there are steps you can take to limit the risk of unintentionally over-sharing, including:
- Set your social media apps to ensure that they aren’t automatically sharing your location, and just say no if a new application asks to use your current location.
- Consider sharing only with those on you Friends List, and not ‘friends of friends.’ Also, use Facebook’s privacy feature, which allows you to view your own profile as a specific person or the general public.
- Every few months do this step to your own Facebook page to evaluate what information about you is readily available for strangers to see.
- Choose your online friends wisely, only accept requests from people you know personally (not mutually). If something about their profile doesn’t sit well with you, consider either not corresponding with them, or even blocking them if necessary.
- Don’t give out personal details about yourself, family, home, etc. unless it is in a private discussion with someone you know.