Here’s a quick question; what would you do if your social media accounts get hacked? You might contact a tech-savvy friend to help with getting access back to your account. Or you might contact the platform’s support for that.
But, how about you take some precautionary measures beforehand so your social media account doesn’t get hacked at all? Want to learn some tips to keep your social media accounts safe? Then, read on:
Don’t Share Anything Personal on Public WiFi
Nothing Gets Deleted on the Internet
Contents
Use Strong Passwords
We know that it’s best to keep our passwords only to us. But would that be enough to keep our social accounts safe? Yes, if your account’s password is strong, and no if your account’s password is predictable for people. Ideally, a password shouldn’t be anything that is easy to guess such as your birth date. To create a strong password, check out the following points:
- It should have a minimum of 8 or more characters.
- Use a combination of upper and lower-case alphabets.
- Make sure to add numeric characters in your password too.
- Adding special characters can also amp up your password’s security against hackers.
Here, I’d advise you not to use the same password for all your social media accounts. Some users may have the same password on all their social media profiles and that’s a risky practice that compromises the safety of these social media accounts. Plus, it’s best if you frequently change your passwords.
While I know it’s a hard job to remember multiple, complex passwords, you can use a password manager, which keeps your saved passwords. If installing and setting up a password manager feels like an arduous task, simply save passwords in the notepad of your device.
Be it a café, restaurant, or park, you may find public WiFi there. Most of the public WiFi that we find are open to all. Anyone can connect to them and only a handful require a password or a key to connect to them.
You can use social media on public WiFi, but if I were you, I’d think twice before sharing anything personal information via public WiFi. Not just on social media, but on the device connected to the public WiFi. It’s because public WiFi can be set up by bad actors to steal your data. Malware and viruses can creep into your device and steal your data before you know it.
Here, I’d recommend using hotspot zones provided by your internet service provider. Xfinity, for instance, provides more than 20 million hotspot zones around the country. They’re fast and reliable, and besides that, come free of cost with Xfinity internet plans.
Refrain from Adding Strangers
The Internet is a great place for making new friends. But at the same time, there’s no place like the internet where people can easily mask their identity to become your friend.
You could guess, but never be sure if a profile is real or fake. And if it’s fake, who knows they may only befriend you to steal data about you or spread hate and false information. So, be aware of people who send you friends or follow requests because it’s safe to be suspicious of strangers you meet on the internet.
Nothing Gets Deleted on the Internet
The Internet is a fun place for as long as you share memes on it. But the second you share any sensitive information, even if it’s disappearing messages on WhatsApp or a one-time photo on Instagram, it may never get deleted.
Taking a screenshot may not work, but don’t you think a person with malicious intent can do a screen recording? Or, use another device to capture something that you sent?
Just to be on the safe side, make sure not to upload or send anything on the internet you don’t want there out forever.
Set Tight Privacy Settings
Setting up tight privacy settings is another way to ensure your account’s safety. Sometimes, we overshare different things on our social media accounts. While most of us believe that our friends or followers could see our activity, there’s a chance that every user on that social platform may see our activity.
Privacy settings let you limit the audience you want to interact with. For instance, Facebook lets you lock your profile. Once you’ve locked the profile, only your friends can see your activity on the platform.
You can also restrict people from sending you a friend or a follow request on different platforms. This way, you can keep strangers at bay, and only befriend people you know.
Key Takeaways
- Strong passwords are the first line of defense. Use a combination of upper and lower-case alphabets, numbers, and special characters to set up a strong password.
- Do not use the same password on any social media account and change them with time.
- Refrain from sharing any personal information when you’re connected to public WiFi. Avoid it if you can and it’s best to use hotspot zones backed by your ISP.
- Do not befriend everyone on social media platforms.
- Do not share things you don’t want on the internet. Even if you delete them, they may never get removed from the internet.
- You can limit the audience with privacy settings. It’s a useful way to stop strangers from seeing what you’re up to on a social media platform.
