Facebook is made for us to share personal information. However, criminals are out there waiting for a piece of information that will help them commit a crime and steal someone’s identity. We will give you ways to protect your identity on Facebook so your internet privacy is not at risk.
Watch What You Post on Facebook
Avoid posting your birthday. If a bad actor has the year you were born, it is a starting spot when trying to steal your identity. Yes, we all love our birthday wishes, but those wishes can turn into theft when in the wrong hands.
All times criminals use Facebook to find ways to commit crimes. When you post your whereabouts, routine, or vacation, you give people access to your home. They know when you’re there and when you’re not and will take advantage of that knowledge.
Photos Can Reveal Too Much
Posting pictures of our dogs or kids seems harmless. But, when we geotag pictures, we give people access to our location. Whether it is a vacation or our home address, others can find out where we are and take advantage of that information. It is a sound policy to delete photos that reveal personal and identifiable data.
Avoid Making Purchases Through Facebook
Facebook shops and marketplaces are the norms. But, they are not as secure as many consumer websites. Using personal and financial information on Facebook can put your identity at risk.
Federal Trade Commission
Current state and federal social media privacy laws are not enough to keep you entirely safe. In 2012, the Federal Trade Commission took steps towards making Facebook follow social media privacy laws. With that said, they are not robust enough to protect your information entirely. You must be your own online privacy advocate and take steps so that your information stays safe.
Taking Control of Your Identity on Facebook
Privacy and online safety settings do matter. Your name and profile photo are visible to anyone at any time. But, you can stop people from getting more information.
The first thing to remember about any online account is to set a strong and unique password. Strong passwords consist of at least eight characters, upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and various symbols. The best policy is to use different passwords for every online account.
Social media is there to share our lives. However, sharing too much is dangerous. You can go into your privacy settings and adjust who has access to your data. Restricting your status updates and pictures to only friends can help reduce the danger of someone stealing your identity.
We love to share our lives with family and friends. But, we don’t want to share that with people who want to steal our identity. Protect your identity today to keep it from being stolen tomorrow.