Did you know hackers sell stolen information from social media accounts on the dark web for as little as $1 to more than $4,000? While statistics are exploding, they certainly necessitate attention towards social media privacy issues.
Your social media is a data bank for cybercriminals, where they can access all your sensitive information, from your credit card details to your location, and use it however they want.
Hence, understanding social media privacy concerns and a few simple tips to keep your online privacy intact is the first significant step you can take to protect yourself. Before going deep into these privacy concerns on social media and how to avoid them, let us quench your curiosity about how social media affects your privacy and why it is essential to remain safe.
How Does Social Media Affect Your Privacy
Imagine losing your hard-earned money because you clicked on a fake Instagram message that promised you a prize worth millions of dollars. In another scenario, imagine posting your aesthetic vacation photos in real-time with geotags, inadvertently revealing your absence from home, a piece of information that may fall into the wrong hands.
These are not just imaginary situations; it is the power your social media holds in the real world. Platforms like Facebook, X, and Instagram encourage you to share your personal life. It leads to increased online visibility and transparency, blurring the distinction between private and public.
Moreover, a lot of information you share on your social media is used by companies for targeted advertising. They use it to deliver customized ads based on your likes, dislikes, and demographics, and often, you allow them access to your information by consenting to the lengthy terms of service agreements without understanding how your data will be used.
In addition to advertising, your data may be shared with third parties, such as marketers and government agencies, without your knowledge or consent. These practices increase privacy risks, as there are several loopholes that bad actors may exploit to access your information.
Why Is Social Media Privacy Important
Ensuring social media privacy helps you safeguard your personal and sensitive information. It helps protect you from identity theft, reputational damage, cyberbullying, unwanted exposure of your private details, and many other issues that we discuss next.
Common Social Media Privacy Issues
The following are the most common social media privacy concerns you need to protect yourself from.
1. Data mining
Identity theft is among the most common cybercrimes that happen through social media. To steal a person’s online identity, cybercriminals do not need much information. They only need details, such as your email address, phone numbers, usernames, and physical addresses, which are readily available through your social media.
With data mining, these bad actors can create accounts in your name for their fraudulent purposes, trap you in phishing scams, or collect more details like credit card numbers or leaked passwords.
2. Third-party data sharing
Whether you believe it or not, many social media platforms share your data with third-party service providers. While it facilitates the integration of services across platforms, it also increases privacy risks.
Moreover, you may not know when you grant permission to sell or share your data with these third parties. These permissions are hidden in the lengthy terms of service agreements (which most users do not, but should fully understand) or cookie acceptance pop-ups.
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3. Data breach
A lot of your information, such as your relationship status, employment history, religious affiliation, gender, age, phone numbers, and email addresses etc., is stored on your social media accounts. A data breach occurs when unauthorized parties access this data, often because of weak security measures.
Once exposed to the wrong people, this information can be used for criminal or fraudulent activities, causing you many hardships.
4. Privacy settings gaps
Imagine you post a photo of your new home on social media (with your new address), intended only to be viewed by your close friends. However, one of your friends shares the post or comments on it. If this happens, their friends (who may not be friends with you) may also see your photo, including your address. Such loopholes can risk your privacy.
5. Location settings
In a 2019 study, it was found that many social media users did not know their location data was being collected and stored even after turning off location history in settings. While these settings improve your social connections by letting you share your location, they also expose your sensitive details, such as your work locations, home addresses, and travel patterns, potentially causing safety concerns.
6. Incorrect information
Fake information spreads like wildfire on social media. Trolls also provoke users into heated arguments by manipulating their emotions. While many social media platforms have guidelines on content moderation, such posts may take a long time to be flagged.
One of the classic examples of how false information on social media can impact lives is the Pizzagate conspiracy theory, where fake claims about a pizza shop being a front for a pedophile ring were widely spread, resulting in the shop owners facing threats and harassment.
7. Harassment and cyberbullying
Cyberbullying and harassment on social media are not uncommon. Defrauders send threatening messages, harass users, or trouble users emotionally without even getting into the target’s social media accounts. You can often witness such harassment in the form of inappropriate comments on social media accounts.
Another form of cyberbullying through social media is doxxing. It involves sharing harmful content related to people, such as exposing their phone number, address, or personal photos, with the intention to embarrass, harm, or humiliate the user.
8. Affects job opportunities
Nowadays, social media accounts speak more about a person’s credibility and trustworthiness than their CV does. Hence, employers often check prospective employees’ social media profiles as part of their hiring process, which can impact an individual’s career.
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9. Malware and viruses
Did you know the Andromeda botnet, associated with nearly 80 malware families, used social media as one of the channels for its distribution? While eventually taken down by law enforcement, this botnet infected millions of computers globally, distributing malware through various means, such as instant messaging, social media messages, exploit kits, and spam emails.
This is not the only example of malware and viruses finding a way into your life through social media. Many times, cybercriminals use social media platforms to deliver malware, slowing down your computer, attacking you with ads, and stealing your sensitive data.
10. Addiction potential
Social media platforms are designed with features that keep users glued to their screens, potentially leading to addiction and obsessive behavior, impacting their real lives.
Proven Tips to Combat Online Privacy Issues
Social media is undoubtedly a risky place. However, a few simple tips, such as the following, can protect your social media privacy and, in turn, your peace of mind.
You should be mindful about opening a new social media account, especially if you are in a country with less strict privacy laws. Each social media platform adds to the privacy risk. Hence, do not open an account on social media if you do not really need it.
2. Post with caution
Your every post (whether it is a photo, video, or anything else) leaves a digital footprint, which is easily trackable even if you later delete the post. Hence, do not post anything you may not want the public to see or know about you.
3. Use strong passwords
Using easily guessable passwords (such as your birthdate) or using the same password across multiple social media platforms can put your account at risk of being hacked. Hence, always use a strong and unique password (a combination of letters, numbers, and special characters) for your accounts, and you can store these passwords securely in a reliable password manager software.
4. Remember to delete the account and data
If you have not been active on a social media platform of late, you should delete the account and its data, as hackers often target such accounts.
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5. Ensure your contacts know your boundaries
Social media has made people forget how their actions (such as sharing the photos of a person who does not want public visibility) may impact others. Hence, ensure your friends and acquaintances know your preferences. They should not post anything related to you without your permission, and even if they post something, they should take it down if it makes you uncomfortable.
6. Avoid public Wi-Fi
Unless you follow the best practices to use a public Wi-Fi network, do not log into any of your social media accounts through public, insecure Wi-Fi. Doing so may expose details, such as your login credentials, to hackers.
7. Refrain from using public devices
Never log in to your social media accounts with a cell phone connected to a public computer, as these computers are a prime source for malware. Moreover, do not use your social media accounts or credit card on a shared computer to protect your information. Even if you use a shared computer, remember to log out when you are done using it.
8. Limit your followers
It is best to have only limited followers and not accept connection requests from someone you do not know, unless you are a public figure or someone needing a public profile. Doing so will safeguard your information from the prying eyes of hackers or cybercriminals.
9. Use paid services
Showing ads and selling/sharing user information with third parties is often a major source of revenue for free applications. Hence, it is better to use paid services, as they have less chance of tracking user data and sharing it with others.
It is tempting to share the locations you visit. However, all this physical data, such as your live locations or daily routines, can be misused by criminals. Hence, you should not share such information.
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11. Disable your geolocation data
Disabling the geolocation data on the map application is a good practice to protect yourself from social media privacy issues. Hence, when you do not use navigation or similar applications, deactivate your geolocation data via your phone’s security settings.
12. Avoid clicking on suspicious links
Activate the Sherlock Holmes in you! Investigate each link for its trustworthiness before clicking on it. Do not click on any suspicious links, no matter who sent them.
13. Enhance account security
In addition to using strong passwords, you should also use two-factor authentication to level up your account security. Doing so will make it challenging for hackers to access your social media accounts.
14. Turn on automatic logouts
Automatic logouts help protect your information when you log in to your social media accounts from unknown locations or unrecognized devices. Hence, you should enable the automatic logout settings on your social networks.
15. Keep all software up-to-date
Software updates patch the security loopholes that cybercriminals or hackers may exploit to steal your sensitive information. Hence, ensure all applications and software, along with social network apps and browsers, are updated regularly, and you have the latest measures in place to remain secure online.
16. Monitor your security alerts
While mostly ignored, social networks send automatic alerts by email when any login attempt is made from unknown locations or devices. Hence, you must take these emails seriously and ensure it was you who logged in. However, avoid clicking on any links or attachments, as some security alerts can be phishing scams.
17. Don’t allow AI training
AI is not a buzzword anymore. Many social media platforms use your information to train AI models. However, you can opt out of AI training through the opt-out settings of the social media platform to protect your privacy.
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Be mindful of what you share on social media. You should not under any circumstances share details like your phone number, complete address, or financial information. These details are best kept private to minimize potential risks.
19. Use a VPN
A VPN, or Virtual Private Network, masks your IP address and routes your internet traffic through a remote server, preventing hackers from accessing your information. Hence, you can use one of the best VPNs while using social media to protect your privacy.
Conclusion
That’s all for social media privacy concerns and how to prevent privacy issues. While social media is a great place to connect, it also opens doors to many social media privacy issues, such as data collection and sharing, hacking and account takeovers, and the spread of misinformation. Hence, the tips in the guide above help you remain protected in the digital world.
We hope you have a safe time online. However, if you have any questions/doubts/feedback/suggestions about this article, please feel free to leave them in the comments section. We will be happy to hear from you and address your concerns.
