This blog is written by our general secretery Sharvin Pharande
Privacy Policy & Social Media :
Social Media has drastically changed the way people interact with their friends, associates, and
family members. Although social networks like Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, Snapchat, and LinkedIn,
play a major role in our day to day lives, I have also come to discover that they could also pose
serious privacy risks. When using these social media sites, it’s quite important to know and
understand the privacy risks involved.
Privacy Risks on Social Media
Nowadays, hackers prowl social media looking for victims. They tend to use the shortened URLs like
those which are created with bit.ly or cutt.ly. They use these shortened URLs to trick their victims
into visiting harmful sites or install viruses/spyware into their computers or mobile phones.
Hackers also use spyware which they can easily install on your mobile phone, laptop, etc remotely
via downloads, emails, shortened URLs, or instant messages. The spyware gives the hacker information
about the passwords you use on your social media networks and other accounts that you access online.
The simplest way to avoid being a victim is to never click on links unless you’re sure of the actual
source.
Sharing personal information on popular social networking sites such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter
has become a social trend user’s feel comfortable about sharing their private life online but the
issues of privacy online remains. A case study revealed that users of social networking sites have
now become more open and share personal information online with many people.
- This may have become a social trend in modern times but users should keep in mind
that information can be kept between online disclosures of personal information and privacy
- Social media sites utilize mobile apps and location-based services to allow users
to check-in at their current locations. This normally reveals the user’s current location to the
people they are connected with within their social media network. The information posted can be
easily used by malicious people to track your whereabouts.
- Moreover, telling the online community where you are, or where you are going to,
can end up inviting burglars and thieves to your home or business. For instance, by posting your
current location and saying that you are on a long vacation in Australia, you will be letting
the potential burglars or/and thieves know exactly where you are, and how long you will be gone.
To mitigate such risks, you should avoid posting your travel plans, and using location-based
services.
“We’re training and
conditioning a whole new generation of people that when we are uncomfortable or lonely or uncertain
or afraid we have a digital pacifier for ourselves that is kind of atrophying our own ability to
deal with that.” — Tristan Harris, former design ethicist at Google and co-founder of Centre for
Humane Technologies