We are a digital society. We live our lives on the Internet; shopping, banking, researching and corresponding. Most people use social media for communication, education, entertainment and news. Your online presence can say a lot about you and your life. It’s important to check your settings on a regular basis in order to protect your privacy. Here are a few guidelines for cleaning up your accounts and suggestions for maintaining a positive footprint.
How many social media sites are you registered with? Are you actively using these sites? Take a look at all of the platforms where you have a presence. Disable, deactivate or close those sites that you do not use. Remove the apps from your mobile device.
Is your friends list growing with people you barely know or associate with? You might consider ‘unfriending’ some of these folks. Remember, those people have access to your photos and posts. Maybe you don’t want to share those with them. Purging your friends list on a regular basis is a good practice.
You may also want to lock down your friends list from public view. Others may be able to see your activities and posts by entering through your friend’s pages that are not privately locked.
Ensure that you are comfortable with the privacy settings on each of these platforms. What do you want to have publicly accessible and what do you want to reserve only for your friends?
Consider how you use social media. You may want to have a public presence for the ability to share information and resources. Do you have an online store, charity or business? Are you a professional that communicates with other professionals within your industry? Do you belong to specific groups within that platform? Keep in mind the uses of your social media and adjust privacy settings accordingly.
Any online activity that requires you to log into the platform should include a strong and unique authentications method. Use a passphrase that is not repeated on other sites. If capable, implement multi-factor authentication. This will assist to ensure your login is secure.
As you continue your online activities, practice digital ethics. Do not contribute to or engage in bullying. Be kind and keep in mind that posts/pictures once posted, are out of your control. Use the power of connectivity to share positive stories and influences, build relationships and grow personally and professionally.
Privacy checklist:
- What information is being seen? Posts, personal information, photos, email address, etc.
- Check your password settings. Make sure you are using MFA/2FA if possible.
- Enable login alerts when a log in takes place somewhere not recognized.
- Check your login activity to see if you are logged into any other devices.
- Delete or remove yourself from old accounts.