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To share or not to share: The Risks of Oversharing on Social Networking Sites

Many of us use social networks to share moments in our lives, our opinions, exciting trips and adventures, or just a night out with friends, but we often do so without fully understanding the consequences of sharing “too much information” (TMI).

Many of us use social networks to share moments in our lives, our opinions, exciting trips and adventures, or just a night out with friends, but we often do so without fully understanding the consequences of sharing “too much information” (TMI).

The irony is that the social media sites we love to use could make us vulnerable to  cyber criminals.  A Guardian journalist recently discovered how much information the dating app Tinder has stored on him (a total of 800 pages!).

The long record contains not only his entire chat history, but also personal data from his other linked accounts, such as Facebook and Instagram. The Daily Mail also published an article on how easy it is for a cyber security expert to uncover deep and intimate information about a person (including her bank account password and details about her children).

Researchers have found that people unintentionally overshare on social media because data is intangible, and thus people don’t consciously “feel” like they are giving away personal information by sharing, liking or commenting on social media.

Here are a few things to consider before you share your next BlogPost:

  • Private postings can easily be made public. Even if you allow only a small number of contacts to see your post, those contacts may have privacy settings that allow sharing of your content with an undefined set of their contacts. Also, anyone who sees your post can copy your content and trigger “viral” spreading thanks to the speed and power of Internet sharing.
  • Some information can be more sensitive then you may think, e.g., birthday, job title, education, names of friends and relatives, likes and dislikes, or favorite charities. These nuggets of information are often used as answers to password recovery security questions, making your accounts vulnerable to criminals who can easily collect this information.
  • Criminals are skillful in piecing together information about you, and may use it to send you an email that contains information or appears from an individual or business that would make you think that it is legitimate. This is known as “phishing.” The email may cause you to provide password information or click on a link or attachment that contains malware.

Should I just delete all my social media accounts?

Even if you delete or deactivate your account, many social networking sites may still hold on to your personal data for an indefinite amount of time, so it’s worth taking extra steps to protect yourself:

  • Login to your social media accounts to review your privacy settings
  • Ensure you are using different strong passwords for different accounts
  • Be conscious of what you decide to post and share online
  • You can check to see if your personal information has been stolen by using our free scan

DynaRisk users can get access to even more security insights and advice by logging in to their Dashboard.

Related: What is Identity Theft, and what you should do