Social media network security is the idea that you should
utilize the privacy and security features of websites to ensure the privacy of sensitive
information. This could be things like your social security number or even when
you are going on vacation. Information like this can be used against you and
social media network security policies are some of the best ways to reduce the
risk of using these social websites.
Social media policy is a set of guidelines that can be used
to help guide your social media use. This can be established by your workplace
to set guidelines on what is and is not appropriate online. Some organizations
like the NLRB review what is and is not appropriate for employers to monitor
online (Stevens, 2012). This is important because you should know where the
dividing lines between your online person life and professional life are so
that you do not damage your professional life by posting inappropriate content.
- Make sure you do not post information that will damage your career.
Many people use social media to talk with friends, but that
same language cannot be used to talk about work or discuss work topics. Users
should set their privacy settings accordingly or simply make sure they do not
have conversations publicly online that their workplace would find
unacceptable. As a social media user you should set your profile so that only
friends can review the posts and only post material that is non sensitive. One
author said “the report also concluded that a social media policy that required
employees to maintain the confidentiality of trade secrets and other
confidential information was also lawful.” (Stevens, 2012). This quote shows
that employees do not have the right to post anything they want on social
media. Social media is a public forum and should be respected as one.
- Do not post information online that will tip off identity thieves
Every year people become victims of identity theft. This can
damage your credit and impact your life in a very negative way. By not setting
privacy settings correctly you can give a potential identity thief useful
information, which can put you at risk. “Computer scientists and policy experts
say that such seemingly innocuous bits of self-revelation can increasingly be
collected and reassembled by computers to help create a picture of a person’s
identity, sometimes down to the Social Security number.” (Lohr, 2010). This
illustrates just how much people can find out about you online. You would not
want a stranger to have this information, so you should configure your privacy
settings to reflect this and not post this information online.
- Other users can post content about you that is harmful
Friends, family members and people you know can post
information about you that other people can see. Even if you have your privacy
settings set other people may post things about you that will not be affected
by your personal privacy settings. If someone posts something that refers to
your workplace or interests, that information can be seen by other people
(Lohr, 2010). This suggests that simply setting your own privacy controls isn’t
enough, you need to understand who your friends are and accept that what they
post can affect you.
- Create passwords that are difficult to hack
This tip may seem obvious but not everyone does it. Some
people come up with a couple passwords and just use those for every account
they ever make. While this does make it easier to remember, it also makes it
easier for someone else to figure out. One site suggests that you should choose
complex passwords and use different ones for each site (Vogel, 2011). This will
ensure that the passwords will be hard to guess and even if someone gets one,
they do not suddenly have access to all of your accounts.
I can honestly say that before reading some of the content
this week I did not know a lot of this about social media. I knew that social
media posts were one way people could gain information about you, but I never
thought about people you know could post that same content about you rendering
all of your privacy settings useless. I also never know how much people could
find out about you simply by viewing small pieces of information. After
learning this, I feel more than ever that privacy and security should be a top
concern for all people using social media.
Additionally I now have a better understand of what is and
is not acceptable to post. It is important not to lose sight of the fact that
social media is a public forum. You should not post things online that you
would not be comfortable with a lot of people knowing. Please keep these tips
and mind and next time you post something make sure you follow the guidelines.
Also Click Here to view FBI tips on how to best defend yourself on the web
References
Ian, thanks for taking the time to offer some great suggestions for how we can use social media in a safer way. You specifically cautioned against posting content that could potentially be used against you. You gave a great example of sharing information about being on vacation alerting thieves that you’ll be away. As we learned from Qualman (2013) social media has resulted in a type of behavioral change known a braggadocian behavior. “As people continue to microblog and update their status via social media, it often becomes a competition of who’s doing the coolest thing” (p. 37). As a result, people often feel pressure to show how great and exciting their lives are by oversharing on social media.
ReplyDeleteWith that said, would you agree or disagree that many individuals find social media posts (regardless of how comprising they might be) a necessary evil to build a stronger personal brand?
Reference
Qualman, E. (2013). Socialnomics: How social media transforms the way we live and do business (2nd ed.). Hoboken, NJ:John Whiley & Sons, Inc.
Bobbi Sue,
DeleteThank you for the comment. I do believe that people feel pressure to share interesting events in their lives with friends and family. Part of the problem with this is that people tend to also overshare and post things online that should not be posted there. I agree that many people do find social media to be a necessary evil in order to build relationships and an online reputation. However that does not mean that they are all correct and that social media is always the best way. I would encourage people to share with friends and family but they should be mindful of what they share on social media. You can share things with friends and family without having to post it online. I would encourage everyone to try to think about what they are posting before they post it.
Hi Ian,
ReplyDeleteNice post this week! I have to admit, I didn’t know too much about social media policies before this week’s readings. At my company, anytime we visit a social media site we first need to pass through a page that says we agree to the company’s social media policy and usage requirements before proceeding. While I was aware there was a policy in place, I didn’t know that organizations like the NLRB enforce laws so that employers don’t unfairly restrict employee social media usage. This makes complete sense, but setting these sorts of requirements in place never really occurred to me before.
About a month ago I remember reading an article about “like scams” on Facebook. You’ve probably seen them – where you “like” a picture to show support for someone battling cancer, or something similar. Often, these photos are fake and scammers are just trying to build up likes so their page becomes popular. Once this happens, “they'll strip the page and promote something else, like products that they get a commission for selling … [or] the "new" page may be used to spread malware … or for phishing” (Gross, 2014). What seems like an innocent campaign to show support could actually expose you to a dangerous situation. Check out this article to read more on the topic: http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/21/tech/social-media/facebook-like-farming/
Like you, I’ve become more aware of my social media security and privacy settings after this week’s lesson. I’ve always been pretty cautious, but there are definitely steps I can take to further protect myself.
Lindsey
Reference
Gross, D. (2014, January 22). On Facebook, clicking “like” can help scammers. CNN. Retrieved from http://www.cnn.com/2014/01/21/tech/social-media/facebook-like-farming/
Lindsey, I'm glad I read your comment. I've seen hundreds of those “like farming” posts on Facebook requesting “likes” for a personal battling and illness or for a company who is going to match “likes” for dollars. I don’t recall ever clicking one because I don’t believe they are true. But, I never realized that they could actually be malicious. For all the good social media can do in connecting loved ones across the miles or spreading knowledge there will always be someone who finds a way to use it for harm!
DeleteLindsey,
DeleteThank you for the comment. The like scams that you mentioned are interesting. I can certainly see how people would end up liking things that they believe are for a cause. It is a shame that those things often get sold out to try to promote something else. I had never thought of that prior to seeing that article. I completely agree that this week was eye opening in terms of understanding all of the dangers associated with social media.
A lot of what we learned this week has to do with individuals understanding security and privacy issues. I learned a lot about what organizations can do to keep people’s social freedom intact while not ignoring security concerns. One thing that I also read a bit about this week was how some of these social media security issues can also effect small businesses. Here is an article I found about different risks businesses can face. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-siciliano/7-small-business-social-m_b_4846083.html
Ian
Reference
Siciliano, R. (2014, February 24). 7 Small Business Social Media Risks. The Huffington Post. Retrieved March 2, 2014, from http://www.huffingtonpost.com/robert-siciliano/7-small-business-social-m_b_4846083.html
Hi Ian,
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading your post this week. It's amazing to consider all the different ways our social identity and real life identity can be compromised. As far as posting content that can be damaging to your career, you really need to carefully consider how the content you post will be perceived. Not only that, but you have to consider all the different groups and environments where your content will be visible, and realize they all have different codes they work by, whether it be ethical laws they enforce or otherwise. The way one organization or individual will view what you post, could be comepletely different from what someone else see's. There is a balance that must be assumed in regard to your online profile. Being able to show employers you are savvy enough to have your own blog, or that you manage a bunch of micro blogs successfully is becoming more and more relevant in todays professional world. However, again, you have to keep in mind the things you are posting. So basically, you can't hide and post nothing, because you will get left behind eating the dust of technologies progression. Just be careful what you post.
I like the link you included to the FBI's tips on how to defend yourself on the web. As I said in other posts, there are things listed as potential threats that I would have never even thought of. Who knew secret malicious hyperlinks could lay beneath an innocent looking enter button? I also found it interesting to be weary of any USB drives you might be using, because there could be malicious software on that drive that could attack your computer and steal your information. All very interesting, and very real stuff to consider when interacting online, in the social world.
Nice work!!!
Dan,
DeleteThank you for the comment. I agree that it is amazing when you think about all of the different ways people can get information about you. For me it was surprising how many different places on the web store information about us. Before this week I had never really considered how much information could be found online by identity thieves. I also really like that you mentioned how the content you post could be received differently by different people. This is exactly why privacy controls and security is important. You do not want to risk offending people who simply have a different understanding of what you say than other people would.
I also agree with you about potential threats. I had never considered how many different ways you could put yourself as risk. Many of the things that are actually harmful seem fairly innocent. The point you brought up about USB drives is a great example. People often do not think about things like that. This makes the information we learned this week even more valuable. If nothing else the content we studied this week has definitely made me more aware of all of the potential issues that can arise when using social media.