Five Things to Remove from Social Media

Thanks to social media, we live our entire lives in public view. And even though it’s now “status quo,” there are still some things you shouldn’t share online. Here are five of the most important.

Phone number. Most of us don’t go around giving out our phone numbers to anyone on the street, and we wouldn’t want anyone on the Internet to have access to it, either. Your phone number can be valuable information for criminals ranging from simple prank-callers to serious stalkers. If your profile doesn’t have strong privacy settings, anyone has access to your number.

Home address. It may be obvious that you shouldn’t post your address directly on your profile, but the dangers of putting your address on an event page may not be as evident. If you’re hosting an event and inviting people via social media, leave your address off the page and, instead, ask guests to contact you personally for the event location.

Birth date. Publicly displaying your birthday on an easily accessible platform makes an identity thief’s job easy. Plus, you may be helping hackers if you use your birthday numbers in your passwords. If you really want to include your birthday on your profile, leave out the year and only provide the month and day.

Current location. Depending on your privacy settings, your location may be revealed every time you post a status or tweet. The geotag feature—available when posting pictures on social media sites such as Instagram—also broadcasts your location to the Internet-using world, depending on your privacy settings. Make sure your profile is as private as can be, and refrain from using the geotag feature.

Financial information. This may seem obvious, but it happens. If you’re tempted to post a photo of your credit card or bank statement, keep in mind that every kernel of information can help hackers steal your identity and gain access to your accounts. Posting any kind of financial information in a public space could perpetuate fraud.

MASK the Parenting Magazine a quarterly publication providing solutions for Today’s Families.

The parenting manual offering solutions to the modern-day challenges families face. From Pre-K through College stay up to date on the modern day issues families face.

Are you up to date on the issues your child is facing?

MASK Mothers Awareness on School-age Kids offers parenting solutions for today’s families. MASK tackles important topics – from drugs and alcohol to bullying and Internet safety -and gives students, parents and the community the knowledge and tools to manage these potential challenges.