Social Media Safety 101

Social media networks have become the ultimate space for online connections nowadays. As different networks continue to pop up and present opportunities to share personal information, users need to err on the side of caution. More ways to connect means more opportunities for online threats like identity theft, cyberbullying, and reputation defamation.

When you set up your profile on social media, you are typically asked to give personal information like your name, birthday, address, and cell phone number. Our biggest piece of advice: do not overshare.

IDShield monitors your social media content feeds for reputation and privacy risks. You can set up monitoring for select accounts and receive alerts for posts, image captions, and comments. You can customize the monitoring settings for your needs.

Privacy risk notifications will alert you to exposure of personally identifying information such as an address, date of birth, or Social Security number. Reputation risk notifications will alert you to foul language, drug references, or alcohol references. You can manage the sensitivity of these notifications and monitor for specific types of alerts.

Screen for Cybercriminal Activity

By doling out your personal info online, you are fulfilling a cybercriminal’s dream. Social media is considered a gold mine for identity thieves because they can access personal details that users don’t realize are dangerous to share. Think about your birthday, address, cell phone number, or even credit card details. If a hacker gets access to your account, they can steal your identity with this info, or share unwanted content on your page.  

What you can do:

Help protect your identity by updating your account passwords with longer and more complex passwords, and not reusing them for every network.

With IDShield’s Social Media Monitoring, you can add your social media accounts that you would like to have monitored.

Reputation Management

Oversharing on social media is not just a threat to your financial and physical safety. Think about how a negative post could impact your reputation. Everything you post can be out there forever, and anyone can see it. If a post involving something inappropriate or profanity is shared with your profile, it could derail your reputation and hurt your chances of getting into schools, getting a job, etc.

The key thing to remember is that everything you share can be permanent, so think before you post. If a hacker gets access to your account however, you won’t have control anymore.

Prevent Cyberbullying

Anything you share can be used against you. While many are using social media as an outlet to share thoughts, opinions, and vulnerable info about their children, keep in mind that this can open the door to an invasion of privacy and even cyberbullying.

What you can do:

Understand that everything you post can have consequences. Safeguard your children’s privacy by not oversharing their whereabouts or routines.

Take Control of Your Privacy

While there are initial steps you can take to be proactive in your online protection, our services can help you gain control of what you post and safeguarding your vulnerable information.

IDShield is a product of Pre-Paid Legal Services, Inc. d/b/a LegalShield (“LegalShield”). LegalShield provides access to identity theft protection and restoration services. For complete terms, coverage and conditions, please see an identity theft plan.  All Licensed Private Investigators are licensed in the state of Oklahoma. This is meant to provide general information and is not intended to provide legal advice, render an opinion, or provide any specific recommendations.