 |
| OverExposed? |
With the rapid growth and remarkable adoption rate of social networking sites such as LinkedIn, Facebook, Google+ and Twitter, we are now more concerned with the growing risks associated with social networks that implicitly give rise to exposure of one’s identity and privacy. The intent of exposing our identity and connecting publicly, at times makes us ignorant of the fact that we are at the risk of breaching the privacy and security of almost all our personally identifiable information. According to a survey, social networking risks and concerns may be identified as four categories
Identity Theft
This is the main concern on social media sites. When creating an account, users give as much information about themselves as they can. This is to make it easy for their friends to identify them easily. The flip side is that this information can be used by identity thieves. With the date of birth on their hands, the identity thieves can easily estimate the social security number of a person. The thief can then personify a car accident attorney in order to rip you off. It is recommended to change your account settings so that only your trusted friends are able to view your personal information. You should also leave your date of birth out.
Sex Predation
Stalking is common. There have been cases of people establishing relationships with social media users with negative intents. Once the stalkers get the phone number of the user, they start preying on them. This may subsequently result in sexual crimes. The key is to never give your personal information to someone you have never met. Additionally, if you must meet for a date, it is vital that you seek the company of your best friend and make sure you meet in a public place.
Unintentional Fame
On the social media, people have the freedom of uploading their photos and videos. Opportunists may take your online content and use it for the wrong thing. For example, your videos may be uploaded to video sites or your photos edited to depict something unethical. The key to avoiding these incidents is limiting access to your social network page. You do not want your photo to be used as an expert who helps reclaim PPI whereas you are a stay-at-home mom.
Employment
Due to the popularity social networks have amassed, employers are using information on social sites to conduct background checks. If your social page is polluted with negative information, chances are you might end up missing the opportunity. The same applies when you are employed and stalkers post uncouth information on your page. This information may easily cause you to lose your job.
However, the challenge here is to fully understand the risks associated with social networks because you never know what information are customers requesting through social media? One of several such concerns related to social network was discovered when Facebook inadvertently exposed millions of users’ phone numbers and e-mail addresses to unauthorized viewers over years that began in 2012. The major reason for causing such breaches in social network security and privacy emerges from the massive amount of information that these sites process every day, making it much easier to exploit even if there is a minute defect in the system.
Moreover, social networking is now no longer restricted to just your PC -- the technology is available on smartphones, tablets, and just about anything that is connected to the Internet. The whole phenomenon has opened new avenues for malware transmission, bringing concerns about information theft and security lapses. Social engineering is another significant concern, alluring privacy, identity theft and treachery concerns. There is no doubt about the benefits of operating business in social environments such as the propaganda of intense correspondence, mass communication, effective marketing and reaching extended networking opportunities. However, with the mushrooming of social networks and its associated risks and concerns, we cannot completely ignore the threat it imposes on our identity and privacy.
With every piece of information that we store online, we are more exposed to threats that may be used against us in a variety of ways. What is required is balancing between the identity and privacy. So should you still blindly jump into the race of socializing or rather implement stringent solutions that balance both our identity and privacy to help mitigate the risks and concerns? The choice is yours!
Tweet
http://t.co/KKszP1JKuy Single Click... one like...doesn't hurt!! :P #Followme #Like
— Pratik Deshpande (@PratikD88) October 28, 2014
No comments:
Post a Comment