Okay Geek Farm
How to use Facebook and keep your Identity safe
Ricardo Trejo
Social networks are a commodity of the present, technology driven age we live in. Being able to tell people what we’re doing, send them a message, or share photos and video from anywhere we have an internet connection is nothing short of amazing. And yet, this doesn’t come without its price. While Facebook is in itself free of charge, you must constantly pay with your attention and vigilance, never knowing when the biggest site in the world might decide to share some of your precious information with external sites, and in turn, their developers.
Facebook is no stranger to controversy, if you recall it was just last year in which they turned every private setting you had to public by default. This of course outraged the community, and really did its damage. However, that was just the beginning, as over this past weekend Facebook began allowing 3rd Party Applications to ask users whether or not they could have access to their addresses and phone numbers. Users would have to opt-in themselves, but in today’s fast paced world, do people actually read these warnings or terms of service agreements?
While Facebook did rescind their decision (for now), there are still a number of dangers lingering about. However, there are numerous ways to combat them and use the world’s most popular social network and still remain relatively safe. Here are just a few we’ve come up with.
1. Why are you here?
Why did you first sign up for Facebook? Was it to make friends, or to stay in touch with people you already knew? Answering this question will give you a clear ideas as to what you’re going to be sharing online for potentially anyone to see.
George S. Bronk2.Realize there are scary people out there.
There was a recent story of a 23 year old man, named George S. Bronk, who would friend women on Facebook, stalker-ishly check out all facets of their status updates, photos, and events, until he was able to answer basic questions, such as their favorite color, what their relatives’ names were, and so on. Having this knowledge gave him the insight he needed to gain access to their email addresses and passwords. Then once he had that down, he would find suggestive images of these women, pictures that were meant to be private and whom they had sent over email, and then forwarded them to everyone on their contacts list. Needless to say, this has ruined a lot of these women’s lives, as some even went on to say that it was like being “virtually raped”.
How can you prevent this? Well, there are a number of smart ways in which you can protect yourself against weirdos and just the occasional hacker looking for some fun.
3. Never post your email address.
…or at least the primary one you use on your page. As mentioned above, with the simple knowledge of an email address, people can conduct a quick search on Google, find information on your past dealings with the internet, and be only one password away from ruining your reputation.
4. Your Passwords should be complex.
Passwords should never be a person’s name, a favorite place, or even a birth date. To really prevent anyone from guessing it, make it as random as possible. For example, “00sodapopbelly43spin2”. It’s quite out there, and makes absolutely no sense, but that’s the point — no one will ever be able to get something like that from a simple scan of your status updates or your images. And for that matter, use this principle for all your passwords, not just your Facebook password.
5. Stay private.
I understand that people want to show off, or at least be available to a certain degree for interested parties to get a good picture of who you are. However, just one single image could be enough to attract the wrong attention. Keep sensitive information and images set to private, because you’ll never know when a wandering eye may get ahold of something you overlooked.
6. Keep it between Friends.
Again, I am aware that people constantly add random people as friends on Facebook, but there’s a huge danger to that. If you have addresses and phone numbers set to “share with only friends”, then you’re giving people a lot to work with, especially those who aren’t right in the head. Previous and current places of employment are enough for stalkers and even obsessed boyfriends and girlfriends to go to the edge of sanity, and mess with your very real life at the most inconvenient times.
7. Be careful what you post.
Status updates and images that tell the world that you’re currently at Hooters may not be the smartest idea when you’re a 2nd Grade Elementary teacher. The same also goes with opinions that you use your Facebook account as a soapbox to say. Employers are now asking potential job applications if they have ties to any social networks and to disclose those pages to them, since they may be liabilities down the road.
8. Stay Informed on site updates
As with Facebook’s ever-changing landscape, new policies regarding your privacy are constantly being updated. To prevent any miscommunications or possible issues, always read about the latest information coming from Facebook, as well as the opinions of experts from the tech and social network world. Being informed is one of the best safety tips there are, so be sure to keep alert.
Keeping these tips in mind will hopefully help you to enjoy Facebook to its fullest, without having the immediate fear that you’ll realize you were hacked one day when you get home. Common sense is the best weapon you have against these dangers, so just because you have an account set to private, your everyday interactions with the site and how you communicate with people over the internet will ultimately be the distinction between those who remain safe and those who are blindsided by attacks.
Facebook image by Franco Bouly - Flickr
