Do you know what information you’re sharing with your online ‘friends’? And what personal data you’re sharing with the world? The following social media safety tips may help you to be safer today!

• Assume that everything you put on a social networking site is permanent. Even if you can delete your account, hundreds of copies of the data you shared could still be out there for anyone on the Internet to view and save.
• Don’t trust that a message is from the person it says it’s from. Hackers can break into accounts and send messages that look like they’re from your friends, but they aren’t. If you suspect that a message is fraudulent, use an alternate method to contact your friend to find out. This includes invitations to join new social networks.
• Don’t post vacation plans on social media - You can never really be sure who is reading your posts. Wait until you return home before sharing with the world how much fun you had.
• Type the web address of your favorite social networking site into your browser or use saved bookmarks. Hackers spend lots of time making emails look like they are from Facebook or some other “trusted site” to trick you into clicking a bogus link. These bogus links can take you to a fake login page where the hacker can record your account name and password.
• Use the same precautions as any other login. Use a strong and unique password, turn on two-factor authentication, log off when you are done, and install antivirus software on your device.
• Personalize your privacy settings. Adjust your privacy settings to your comfort level on the sites you use, and select options that limit who can view your information.

Below are a few of the top social media sites and links to where you can change your privacy settings:

• Facebook - https://www.facebook.com/help/445588775451827
• Twitter - https://help.twitter.com/en/safety-and-security/public-and-protected-tweets
• Instagram - https://help.instagram.com/116024195217477
• LinkedIn - https://www.linkedin.com/help/linkedin/answer/66?lang=en
• Snapchat - https://support.snapchat.com/en-US/a/privacy-settings2