Stay safe while being social in cyber-space

  • Published
  • By Jim Mitchell
  • 88th Air Base Wing Public Affairs
WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --  I'll admit it. I'm about as old-school as they come. Until recently I didn't know the difference between an Insta-tweet and Face-gram. And I'm still not sure I've got it all down pat.

But as my kids get older and the family starts to spread out all over the place, I've come to the realization that if I want to keep in touch, I've got to get social - social media that is.

But where do I start? I want... no need to keep in touch, and email is just so yesterday according to my kids. So I opened a Facebook account. Then I started reading about all the security issues, about locking down my privacy settings and limiting access.

Isn't the idea of social media to be social? It is, but like everything else connected to cyberspace these days, we're vulnerable. Our data, our privacy, even our addresses can be had, sometimes as easily as just doing a Google search.

So I started doing some research and was amazed by what I learned. Depending on my Facebook privacy settings (which are difficult to find and change), I was broadcasting my entire life to the world -- not just those who were my friends. Think about it - most of the time your friends find you, not the other way around. And what they can find and see about you, everyone can unless you're careful - and smart.

In broad terms, there are four things we can all do to protect ourselves and our privacy:
› Limit your accounts;
› Don't login with Facebook;
› Adjust privacy settings;
› Geo-tag with caution.

Do you really need Twitter, Instagram dIn, Pinterest , Facebook , Google , Linke +, Tum - - blr, Flickr or any of the other dozens of sites that are out there? Probably not. By limiting how many sites you have accounts with, you increase your chances of staying safe. Pick only the ones you know you'll use and where you want people to see you. The rest might be fun, but are they necessary?

Did you know that by logging in to other sites with "Facebook Connect," it shares not just your information but all of your friends' information with third party sites?

Not all those sites may be on the up-and-up, and you have no control of when or how Face-book shares your info.

Adjusting your privacy settings gives you the most control, and every social media site lets you adjust them to some degree. But sometimes they make it confusing. Make sure you do this not just for you but for your whole family - especially your children. Stalkers are everywhere, and cyberthieves are hiding in every corner of the web to steal your information. More than 90,000 registered sex offenders were removed from one popular site -- and those were just the ones who used their real names.

I'll admit that geo-tagging is a cool feature. I can come home from vacation and show people the exact spot on a map where a castle or a waterfall is. But use discretion when and where you do that. Posting photos of your son's birthday party that are geo-tagged pinpoints your house. Even if you limit who you share with, you're never 100 percent certain.

We've made it easier for you to take control of your social media world. Just visit www.wpafb.af.mil and click on the Social Media Resources tab in the upper left corner.

You'll find step-by-step guides on how to protect yourself, plus some great links to other sites that can help you navigate and socialize safely.