And never use personal, easy-to-guess information - such as your birthdate or pet’s name - as your password. This means using a combination of at least 12 numbers, special characters, and upper- and lower-case letters. You might want to limit the people who can view your posts to those you’ve personally invited.Ĭreate strong passwords, too, for your social media profiles to help prevent others from logging into them in your name. You don’t have to let people know what year or where you were born - which could make you an easier target for identity theft. To protect your online privacy, ignore the “About Me” fields in your social media profiles. A total of 42 percent of respondents shared information about their travel plans through social media. The same study found that about 48 percent of respondents shared information about their children, while nearly 33 percent shared information about their location. In a 2018 study, the Identity Theft Resource Center found that approximately 52 percent of respondents shared personally identifying information through social media sites.Īnd that’s just the start of the oversharing. Unfortunately, many people don’t take this advice. Providing too much information on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram could make it easier for cybercriminals to obtain identifying information, which could allow them to steal your identity or to access your financial information.įor example, could an identity thief determine your high school mascot or your mother’s maiden name from digging through your Facebook account? This information is sometimes used as security questions to change passwords on financial accounts. Limit the personal information you share on social mediaĪ smart way to help protect your privacy online? Don’t overshare on social media.
Here are some ways you can boost your online privacy.