7 Privacy and Safety Tips on Social Media during Covid-19 Pandemic

Have you ever thought of your safety on social media? What content are you sharing online? Who are your friends or followers?  The use of social media platforms is on the rise. Covid1-19 has even accelerated social media usage as a means of communication since most people are working from home.  People are using social media for different reasons. According to the Global Web Index report, the following are the top reasons why people are using social media during the Covid-19 pandemic are to:

• Stay up to date with current news and update
• Fill up spare time
• Find funny or engaging content
• Keep in touch with what friends are doing.

With more people using social media platforms, it is also good to ensure your safety and privacy on social media. What content are you consuming? What personal information are you sharing online and how will that affect your privacy?  Well, this article looks at some safety measures you need to exercise to stay safe on social media.

1.     Use Strong Passwords

For your social media accounts to be more protected, use strong passwords. Your passwords should entail letters, special characters, numbers and make it at least 8 characters. For your social media accounts to be more protected, use strong passwords. Your passwords should entail letters, special characters, numbers and make it at least 8 characters. Click To TweetMoreover, be creative with your passwords. Do not use your names, place of birth, parents’ name, your school, which are passwords that malicious people can easily guess. Other tips related to passwords for you are:

• Use different passwords for different social media accounts
• Do not share your passwords with anyone
• Use two-factor authentication that adds an extra layer of authentication
• Set up security questions

2.     Familiarize Yourself with Privacy Settings for Each Platform

Each social media platform has privacy settings that allow you to control or customize your privacy settings. You can control what should be visible to your connection, what people can share, your social media activities or manage how a social media platform uses your data. You can also choose to keep your social media account private or visible to everyone.   Have a look at the privacy settings of LinkedIn on what you can control.

LinkedIn privacy settings

3.     Be Selective on Friend Requests

Be selective on friend requests and do not accept friend requests of people that you don’t know.  The friend request you could accept could be a fake account or a malicious person who wants to get hold of the information you share online. Be selective on friend requests and do not accept friend requests of people that you don't know. The friend request you could accept could be a fake account or a malicious person who wants to get hold of the information you share… Click To TweetMoreover, do not shy away from cleaning your friends list or connection.

Last year, I noticed that I had many friends on my Facebook account that I didn’t even know that I had accepted in the past. I took the initiative of unfriending strange people just to secure my account. Remember, you have the power to control the people whom you want to be your friend online and never feel guilty about rejecting some friend requests.

Also Read: A Look at Social Media Universe in 2020

4.     Be Cautious of What you Share

“Don’t say anything online that you wouldn’t want to be plastered on a billboard with your face (or logo) on it.”-Erin Bury Don't say anything online that you wouldn't want to be plastered on a billboard with your face (or logo) on it. Erin Bury Click To Tweet As you type on “What is on Your Mind” on Facebook, “What do you want to talk about” on LinkedIn or “What is Happening on Twitter,” remember what happens on social media stays on Google forever.   You may delete what you have posted but remember somebody might have taken a screenshot of it and saved it. So be careful before you hit that “Post” button.

 To add on, be calm on what you post or share on social media. Do not share everything and anything going on in your life on social media. From what share, say a location malicious person can take advantage of that information and even come to where you are.

Also, do not share sensitive information like your phone number, bank details, passwords, date of birth, account numbers on social media that hackers can use against you. When you have a complaint that you are raising to a company through their social media platform, learn to inbox them your personal details rather than posting the complaint with your personal details on their wall.Don't share sensitive information like your phone number, bank details, passwords, account numbers on social media that hackers can use against you. When you have a complaint that you are raising to a company through their social media… Click To Tweet Hackers and malicious will take advantage of that information.

5.     Avoid signing Up on third-party apps with your social media credentials

You must have come across sites or apps that allow you to sign up using your social media accounts or email.  Avoid signing up on third-party apps using your social media accounts because you will be granting those sites more information about you.

6.     Avoid Playing Online Games and Quizzes

The most relatable games and quizzes are those fun games on Facebook like Nametests and Meaww. You may or may not have participated in those quizzes and names, but from today avoid participating in those games if you care about your personal security and privacy. All those clicks and taps give the Quiz company information on you. Avoid participating on social media games if you care about your personal security and privacy. All those clicks and taps give the Quiz company information on you. Click To Tweet

If you check the privacy terms of Nametests, an Instant game website available on Facebook, they say they process user’s data such as name and profile picture.

“When users create a user account with us, we store so-called inventory data, such as the first names of users or app-scoped IDs (“player ID”). Depending on which of our Online Services, our users use, other data, such as profile pictures or text entries may also be processed. We also process data on the use of our services, such as contents that have been viewed, times of use, their duration and technical details, such as browsers or devices used, in order to make our offer user-friendly and secure.”

Therefore, if you are mindful of your online data and don’t want to share with third-party apps like this quiz site, stop participating in those games.

Also Read: 8 Effective Habits for Quality  SaaS Content Writing

7.     Learn to Logout from Public Computers

To wind up, if you must use a public computer or device to log in to your social media account, learn to log out from those devices.  Failing to logout from the public device, a person who will use it after you will definitely be gaining access to your social media account and your personal information, which is not good.  For personal computers, ensure that you install antivirus software to protect your computer.

Wrap Up

To conclude, observing the above social media tips ensures your personal data safety and your safety on social media. If you need a technical writer who can write similar topics on security, the Internet and social media, kindly feel free to shoot an email on egline@samodigitalagency.com. For more topics on content marketing, kindly check out Samodigital Agency blog

Egline Samoei

Egline Samoei is tech writer who loves to write about Digital Marketing, Social Media Trends, SaaS content, AI, Big data and emerging trends. She a certified digital marketer and has a certifications in Data Science using Python, Google Analytics, Waze Ads, Google Ads and Internet Governance from Kictanet.