4 simple tips to keep your social media data safe

2024 Author: Malcolm Clapton | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 03:44

If you don't take care of the security of your data yourself, no one will take care of it. And it's better to do this before attackers gain access to your account.

1. Turn on two-factor authentication

I will not suggest coming up with a complex password or using special generator programs: you already know this. But there is another feature that is available on all social networks and helps to protect your account - two-factor authentication.

When it works, in addition to the password, the social network will ask you to enter a special code from an SMS message or a code generator program. This is the second factor of protection. Here's how to enable two-factor authentication on popular social networks.

In contact with

Go to the settings section, select the "Security" tab. In the "Ways to get a security code" field, configure your phone number, backup codes and applications for generating codes.

Facebook

Go to the settings section, select the "Security" tab. Click Login Confirmation and enable two-factor authentication. By default, codes in SMS messages will work as the second level of protection.

Instagram

Open the Instagram mobile app settings. In the "Account" field, click on the "Two-factor authentication" link and enable the "Require security code" item. You need to add the phone number to which the codes will be sent via SMS when you enter Instagram.

classmates

Open the settings, go to the "General" tab and select "Double protection". Enter the phone number and code that will be sent by SMS. Configure backup codes and the code generator app as desired.

2. Configure access for third-party applications and sites

Developers create special programs for social networks. Striking examples are VKontakte audio players or applications that count guests on an Instagram profile. However, such applications often steal personal data and should not be trusted.

We also often use social media data to quickly register on sites and services without entering an email and password. These sites also get access to your social network profile. For example, the HyperComments commenting system, which is connected to the Lifehacker, has such functionality.

Amplifer also uses social media accounts so that the user can quickly register in the service and get started. We do not share data with third parties - you can trust us.

Firstly, I advise you not to use third-party social media applications, choose the official ones. Secondly, only use the quick sign-in via social network to those sites in which you are confident. Third, check which apps have already accessed your profile and adjust the permissions on your data.

In contact with

Go to Settings and select the "Application Settings" section. VKontakte will show third-party programs that have access to your data. You can customize which apps can send notifications and choose which apps to appear in the sidebar. To disable the application's access to your profile, click on the corresponding button.

Facebook

Open the settings, select the "Applications" tab - a list of programs that use your Facebook account will appear. You can customize what data programs can access, or unlink it from your Facebook profile.

Instagram

Open the web version of Instagram and go to your profile page. Click "Edit Profile" and select the "Allowed Applications" tab. The service will show you which programs are using your profile information. To disable a third-party application, click Revoke Access.

classmates

Go to settings and open the "Third Party Applications" tab. The social network will display programs that use your account data in Odnoklassniki.

3. Set up the privacy of personal data

Social media users share a variety of information: photos, lists of friends, communities and much more. It is better that this data is seen only by a certain circle of people: only you, friends or friends of friends. Here's how to set up data privacy.

In contact with

In the settings, select "Privacy". It has four main fields: "My page", "Posts on the page", "Contact me" and "Other".

My page

Here you can configure who will have access to basic page information, tagged photos, group lists, audio recordings, gifts, and more.

I advise you to close access to hidden friends, the list of saved photos and information about the shooting location in the pictures. The rest is at your discretion.

Entries per page

In "Posts on page" you can choose who sees comments on your posts and posts of other users on your page. You can also choose who can post on your page and comment on your notes.

It all depends on how open you want to be and whether your friends leave messages on the page. If not, you can safely close it for other people's records.

Communication with me

Here you can configure who can write you private messages, invite you to communities and applications. You can also choose which friend requests you receive notifications about.

If you use VKontakte only for correspondence, viewing news in the feed and listening to music, you can block access to invitations to communities and applications.

For the above sections, VKontakte offers several options for setting privacy. Flexible settings:

• All social network users.
• Only your friends.
• Friends and friends of friends.
• Only you.
• All users except the selected ones.
• Some friends.
• Some friends lists.

Other

In the "Other" section, you can configure who will see your VKontakte page and updates of which sections your friends will see. If you want to close in a cocoon, then turn off the ability to index your page by search engines and close the notifications about updates of all sections.

Facebook

To configure the privacy of personal information, in the settings you will need the sections "Confidentiality", "Chronicle and tags" and "Public publications".

Confidentiality

This is where you specify who can see your content, add you as a friend, and find you by email, phone, and search engines.

Chronicle and tags

In this section you can choose who can publish in your Chronicle and see your notes in it.

Public publications

Here you can configure who can subscribe to you and comment on your publications. You can also choose from whom to receive notifications.

Instagram

On Instagram, it's worth specifying whether your account can be recommended to other users. This can be done in the web version of the service, in the "Edit profile" section of the settings.

You can also make your account private and choose who can follow you and who can't. This can be done in the settings of the mobile application, the "Account" field, the item "Closed account".

Another way to protect your account from spammers is to set up inappropriate comments with special words.

classmates

In the settings, select "Publicity". You can specify who can see information about you, mark on photos and notes, invite to games and groups, write messages, and so on.

4. Do not post personal correspondence and confidential data

Do not post personal correspondence and personal information in the public space. Many users are inattentive to this and put on public display photos with a driver's license, diplomas, bank cards, and sometimes passport data.

I found this photo in the group of auto-technical expertise of my city. The appraiser, in order to confirm his qualifications, posted a scan of the advanced training diploma in the group. Competence is good, but you shouldn't put photographs of documents on public display.

Fraudsters can use this information for illegal purposes: pay for purchases from your card, make printouts of screenshots of passports, driver's licenses, and other documents.

When uploading pictures and photos, look carefully for important data. And to publish fragments of personal correspondence is simply unethical. Remember that an image uploaded once may never be deleted from the servers of the social network.

Fix

• Turn on two-factor authentication to add another layer of security when logging into social media.
• Choose who can access your data. Do not be lazy and dig into the settings.
• Configure third-party app access to your profile. Do not use unofficial social media clients and programs that collect information about you. Use a quick login through your social network account only to those sites and services that you trust.
• Do not post photos of documents and bank cards on social networks. Be careful what images you upload.