Social media is everywhere. It is an excellent way to both discover what is going on in the world around you as well as to share the information with your friends and family. Due to the pervasiveness in the world today, social media has become an excellent target for hackers, thieves, and others that have malicious intent. These entities can and will take what you post online and attempt to use the information for their gain. Below are recommendations on how you can best protect yourself while still utilizing these services.

Go private

Many social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter give you the option of making your profile and posts visible to your approved friends only. Choosing to take your account private keeps the broader Internet from seeing what you’re doing, saying, and posting. This setting goes a long way toward protecting your privacy.

Don't accept friend requests from unknown accounts

Be selective in accepting friend requests. Often fake accounts are created to attempt to gather information on users for malicious purposes or to spread false information. When in doubt, it is safer to error on the side of caution by rejecting the friend request.

Think twice before letting your location be known

While it can be fun to check-in at an event or to post photos of your vacation as it is happening, that also lets criminals know that you nobody's home right now. If you are not sharing privately, it is best to wait until you get back home to post your photos and stories about all of your adventures.  This includes conferences and speaking events.  It might be best to post your participation after you have already departed the conference venue.  

Watch out for phishing scams

Social media accounts are just as large a target for phishing scams as one's own email account. Just like with email, don't follow links from instant or direct messages. Don't share personal information such as your email, address, or phone number with strangers. Watch out for websites and posts that appear to be an innocent "quiz", these are used to harvest personal information that can be used against you.

Be wary of public wireless connections

Just as you should never log into your banking site on a public Wi-Fi connection, you should never log into your social media accounts either. Public wireless accounts in hotels, airports, and restaurants lack the protections to keep your connections safe. Cybercriminals easily gain access to passwords and other data on these types of wireless networks.

Protect yourself and your devices

Security software such antivirus can protect you from clicking malicious links while on social media. Keep your device and apps up-to-date to protect against hardware and software vulnerabilities. If your device  or app no longer receives security updates, it is time to move onto a new device.

Use Two-Factor Authentication

Two-factor authentication is an excellent way to increase the security of your account. In the event that some learns of your password, the second-factor of two-factor authentication would thwart their ability to log in to your account. Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and others all support two-factor authentication.

Passwords matter

Social network accounts are only as good as the security protecting them. Be sure to chose a strong, unique password that isn't used for any other site or service. Be sure to change your password on a frequent basis. If you believe someone may know your password, change it immediately.  Make sure you don't reuse the same password for social media that you do for GVSU network accounts or other services.  

Secure social media accounts on mobile devices

In addition to a strong password for your social media account, make sure your mobile device is also protected with a password, passcode, fingerprint, or facial recognition. Remember, must social network apps on your mobile devices only require a log in one time. The best way to continue to protect the account is by protecting the device the account is on.

The Internet is forever

It is easy to think that anything you post online can easily be deleted, but this is simply not the case. Remember, even with your account private or with apps that support "disappearing" messages a user can simply take a screenshot of the post and share it with others.

Get verified

Verification allows your account to flagged as official.  It requires extra steps but offers extra protections as well.  

Twitter - (Get Verified))

Facebook - (Get Verified)

Instagram - (Verified)

TikTok - (TikTok Verified)