The internet has become a dangerous place in the past 20 years. Fake profiles, identify theft, and scams are the norms now, and the scary bit is that it takes just a minute for someone to learn everything about you.
With that said, it’s essential in today’s age to know how to keep your social media accounts like: Facebook, Instagram, WhatsApp, IMO private and only intended for those you wish to allow.
There are numerous ways you can do that and today, we’ll share some tips to help you maintain your online privacy.
While you can find many solutions over the internet, not all of them are trustworthy or works best to keep your social media profiles private and secure. Therefore, you must only go for the ones that are recommended, tried and tested.
Tip#1 Use a VPN
First up is the mighty VPN – Virtual Private Network. Your account is particularly at risk if you regularly login into your social media accounts on a public hotspot. We know you feel it’s necessary to take a photo of your aesthetic lunch at the cafe down the street, but your accounts are highly susceptible to hackers on public networks.
So be smart, don’t be irresponsible about your privacy – use a VPN service like Express VPN. You can also check out the top VPN deals by VPNRanks to choose from a selection of VPN providers best suited for your needs.
A VPN will help keep your communication well encrypted and protect all your data from potential hackers and identity thieves. But how does a VPN do that? It does so by confining your information within a tunnel within itself and the websites that you are visiting.
Tip #2 Use Strong Passwords
It’s common knowledge that most people keep the same password for all of their social accounts, just for the sake of memory. Let’s face it – it can be a bit laborious to remember every single password of your social accounts. However, this increases the likelihood of all of your accounts getting hacked by hackers relatively easily.
This is why you should aim to create a unique password and change it up every three months. A robust password usually consists of an array of capital letters, numerics, and symbols. The stronger password that you use, the harder it will be for a hacker to crack it.
Your password should be something special to you to easily remember, but it’s difficult for others to guess it. You should skip common passwords like birthdays, anniversaries, and pet names. It’s a given that you should keep different passwords for each social media account you possess. If this seems like a daunting task, you can use a password manager to assist you.
Tip#3 Enable Two-Factor Authentication
Once you’ve set up a strong password, your next likely step should enable two-factor authentication or login verification. By activating these features, you are essentially switching on another layer of security for your accounts.
What two-factor authentication does is that it sends a code to your phone so that the log-in process from a new device can be completed. On the other hand, Login verification will send you a verification code whenever you log in from an unknown device.
This might seem like an exhausting task to some people, but you should enable two-factor authentication if you are serious about your online privacy.
Tip#4 Use Geotags Wisely
And lastly, we know that it might seem very tempting to update your social handles with your whereabouts. But this comes with a sinister risk that most of us don’t realize when we harmlessly check-in at a location on Facebook or upload travel photos.
Geotags put you at risk, both in the virtual and the real world. Your vacay pictures could signal potential burglars to make their move or stalkers from locating you at your most frequently visited spots. So, avoid using geotags to thwart unwanted attention in your life.
Conclusion:
Unfortunately, it’s a known fact that countless people become victims of identity thefts and data breaches every year. This results in a traumatizing ordeal for many, as you lose your data, and there is a blatant invasion of privacy.
Just imagine someone barging into your house in real life, rummaging through closets, and picking up your items. However, if you keep your guard up and take the necessary precautions, a traumatizing event of this sort could be well avoided.
The same goes for the social media profiles that contain all of your private information, which in case of theft can lead to way more problems and confidentiality issues than you can expect.
We hope our tips were helpful for you, so do let us know in the comments below!