How online data-sharing can ruin marriages, career

MANILA -- While social media platforms have been helpful in connecting people from different parts of the world, they may also wreck relationships and jobs if used mindlessly.

According to a study by global cybersecurity company Kaspersky Lab involving 12,000 people worldwide, 28% of those surveyed have experienced sharing confidential information by accident, while 16% said they willingly disclosed "secrets" online.

These include photos of themselves (45%), contact details (42%), photos of another person (32%), sensitive personal details (30%) and work-related data (20%).

Furthermore, one in every six respondents (16%) admitted to have shared confidential information, 9% communicated private information about another person, and 8% shared sensitive financial details.

Meanwhile, a total of 28% admitted to have accidentally shared confidential data and one in 10 respondents have suffered as a result.

The consequences included losing friends (20%), being bullied (17%), suffering financial loss (15%), ruining relationships (13%) and being dismissed from their job (13%).

Despite this, 13% still do not take any precaution to keep their online activities and information safe, and only 39% double-check all messages and posts before clicking send.

Here are some tips for a safer social media sharing from Kaspersky Lab: 

1. Check your security settings 

When you join any social networking site, the first thing that you must remember is to check your privacy settings. 

This includes checking what data can be seen by your friends, followers, and the general public. You should also check the rights of the social network's operator in terms of your personal data.


 2. Be mindful of your posts

Always remember your manner and netiquette before posting anything. You should be mindful before sharing photos, videos, and thoughts that may offend other people.

It is also important to be cautious in using services that will automatically publish your current location.

3. Determine the authenticity of a friend

Verifying the profile of a person before adding him to your social media circle is a must. Better yet, just add those who you know personally.

4. Protect your photos, personal info

Identity theft is one of the biggest threats on the Internet. There have been cases in which cyber-criminals have created fake profiles and used them to blackmail their victims. Thus, keep your profile secure by setting your privacy within your close relatives and friends.

5. Prevent malware attacks
Cyber-criminals have also learned to utilize social networking sites to infiltrate vulnerable users and steal important information.

In such cases, users receive an invitation from a friend to view a photo album or to click on a link to watch a video. Clicking on the link, however, may infect your PC with malware.


To read more tips on how to protect yourself online, click here

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

How to protect yourself from identity theft

MANILA, Philippines - You don’t think it can happen to you – until it does and you become one of the growing number of victims of identity theft worldwide.

Through the years, identity thieves have become increasingly resourceful in the ways they steal personal information. They send out phishing email messages, or rummage through garbage dumps, even pretend to be representatives of credible organizations just so they can get enough information to take-over their victims’ bank or credit card accounts.

Once they do, in a matter of minutes, they can process a wide range of financial transactions such as credit card purchases or large withdrawals via ATM. Others would even apply for new credit cards to run up more charges. The resulting damage on the victim’s finances, psyche, and reputation can be devastating, to say the least.

Don’t wait until this happens to you. An ounce of prevention is still better than a pound of cure, so take the necessary steps to secure your personal information both online and off to protect yourself from such a crime.

Safeguard your personal information offline

Secure all official documents pertaining to your identity, from your birth certificate and marriage contract to your passport, as well as all your financial documents and records in a safe place at home, preferably under lock and key. Do a regular check of your documents to make sure that they are in good condition.

Limit the number of identification and credit cards that you carry in your wallet at any given time. At all times, be conscious of where your wallet is, whether it’s in your bag or your back pocket.

Go through every transaction on your bank and credit card statements carefully. Be on the alert for withdrawals that you don’t remember doing or credit card purchases at shops that you are unfamiliar with. These are possible signs that your information has been compromised. Contact your bank or credit card company immediately.

Don’t just throw official receipts, checks, bank statements, insurance forms, and other such documents in the trash can. Shred them into tiny bits, making sure that it bears no recognizable form of information.

Last but not least, do not just share your personal information to anybody. Do not reveal your birthday or your mother’s maiden name to someone who contacted you over the phone offering a deal. At work, at the doctor’s office, or in your child’s school, you might be asked to divulge personal information. Be clear as to how such information will be used – and what measures these institutions have in place to protect your data.

Secure your life online

Protect all the information you have in your gadgets, whether it’s a notebook, laptop, or smart phone, by enforcing a variety of security measures. Lock up your devices with a password. This way, you and only you can get to the information in your devices. In the event that your gadget is stolen, thieves cannot easily procure your data. Install anti-spy and anti-virus software on your devices. These will not only guard your online life against intrusions and infections, it will also alert you on any attempts to break into your firewall, depending on the program you used. The more security measures you use, the better.

Come up with strong passwords, using both lower and upper cases, for your various accounts, whether it’s your laptop, email, or bank account. Make it as unique as possible. It is also advisable to change your passwords every three months or so.

When you get a message from a person or organization that you are not familiar with, do not open the file that comes with it or click on the link attached. These attachments could possibly unleash a virus or spyware on your computer, making your data vulnerable to cyber-thieves.

Free Wi-Fi is good, but only if you are absolutely sure that your information will be protected. An encrypted website only protects the data you send to and from the site. A secure wireless network protects all the data you send on the network.

Examine the information you are sharing over social networks. Over-sharing can make the work of identity thieves easy, especially if you readily and regularly giving intimate details of your life. Make sure that the people who can access your information are really friends, not just acquaintances. Review your privacy settings regularly.

source: www.abs-cbnnews.com

Click, unfriend: women more likely to do it than men

WASHINGTON - Women are more likely than men to delete friends from their online social networks and tend to choose more restrictive privacy settings, according to a study published on Friday.

The study by the Pew Research Center's Internet and American Life Project also found that men were nearly twice as likely as women to have posted content online that they later regret.

Sixty-three percent of social network users have deleted people from their friend lists, according to the study, up from 56 percent in 2009.

Sixty-seven percent of women who maintain a social networking profile said they have deleted friends compared with 58 percent of men.

When it comes to privacy, 58 percent of social network users set their profile to private so that only friends can see it.

Nineteen percent allow friends of friends to view their profile and 20 percent keep their profile public.

Women are significantly more likely than men -- by a 67 percent to 48 percent margin -- to set their profile to private, the study said.

As for the ease of using privacy controls, those surveyed were evenly divided.

source: interaksyon.com