Social Media - Keep it Private

Do you use Facebook, Instagram, or LinkedIn? If you do, how familiar are you with the privacy settings on these platforms - and the risks if those protections are not employed?

Social media – Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, X (formerly Twitter), and similar services – involves sharing personal information on the Internet and should be used with caution to avoid having your own personal data or identity stolen or misused.

• Always remember that you cannot ‘take back’ what you post on the Internet or social media – even if you delete it later.
• If screen names are allowed, do not choose one that gives away too much personal information.
• Be careful who you add as a “friend,” or what groups or pages you join. The more “friends” you have or groups/pages you join, the more people who have access to your information.
• Be cautious in how much personal information you provide.  Take the time to review the site’s privacy settings; take advantage of the ‘groups’ selection. In that way you can separate close friends and family from work friends. Remember that the more information you post, the easier it may be for an attacker to use that information to steal your identity or access your data.
• Use discretion before posting information or commenting about anything. Once information is posted online, it can potentially be viewed by anyone and may not be retracted afterwards. Keep in mind that content or communications on government-related social networking pages may be considered public records.
• Understand what information is collected and shared. Pay attention to the policies and terms of the sites; they may be sharing your email address or other details with other companies.
• Configure privacy settings to allow only those people you trust to have access to the information you post. Also, restrict the ability for others to post information to your page. The default settings for some sites may allow anyone to see your information or post information to your page; these settings should be changed.
• Rotate your account password and enable multi-factor authentication (MFA) if available. 
• Do not base password creation on content that may be posted on social media. For example, if you post a picture of a pet along with the content "Here is a picture of my cute pet named Stella" do not use the name stella in any passwords.