Protecting Your Privacy (and Safety)

By: Las Vegas Locksmiths

With the unstoppable growth of technology, more and more social networking sites become stronger everyday; from Facebook to Twitter to Instagram and  Pinterest people are more connected regardless of location and time zone. But social networking has its downside as well, with connectivity comes a threat to privacy. Sometimes, what we share online may later on be used against us, particularly our safety. It may be the excitement of sharing to your friends (and in other cases, the rest of the world) how thrilled you are about your upcoming vacation or the new gadget that you bought that keeps you on a level of wanting to put everything on Facebook or Twitter, while it is your right to share information, being selective with the kind and pieces of information that you share can do wonders for your safety and privacy.

First of all note that everyone is on Facebook, or better yet, everyone has a social media account, don’t commit the mistake of sharing everything that happens to you to everyone in the internet – make sure that your profile is set to private and all your posts are limited to friends or contacts only. Sure, having a vacation in Santorini is an adventure but posting a photo of yourself in bikini for the entire world to see is something that may hurt you later on. Like what was mentioned earlier, everyone has a social media account and this includes the HR Manager who will conduct a background check on your application and worse, your parents who will certainly not like what they’ll see.

But even with a limited setting, find time to assess what you will post. First off, consider this – If you have 500 friends in Facebook, how many of them are really your friends? Some of them are probably acquaintances or people you’ve met in a party or friend of a friend whom you don’t really know. If you announce that there’s a party happening in your house this coming weekend and you even placed your complete address in it, then you’re exposing important details about yourself (and your family) that may jeopardize your safety.

If there are photos and information about events happening in your life, like a vacation or a gathering out of town, make sure that you post details after it has happened and not before or as it takes place. Say you’re leaving the country for a well – deserved vacation tomorrow and you’re definitely excited about it, posting the details of your trip and the dates when you’ll be gone is a no – no; try something more discreet and vague like “Can’t wait for tomorrow” or “See you soon Paris” this way you are able to communicate your thoughts but the details are kept in secret, you have the option to answer questions from friends through Personal Message giving you more power over your privacy.

While it is difficult to protect your privacy with the dawn of social media, responsible and careful sharing of information and pictures is the key.

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