Protecting YOUR Social Media Privacy?

How to protect your privacy on social media..

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Ordinary consumers have been wilfully ignorant of ceding their personal data to social media, writes Martyn McLaughlin.

Over the past decade, the remarkable growth of social media from an outlet for cat-related memes, blurry holiday snaps and idle chatter to an all-powerful force reshaping the world around us has been driven by a single tacit agreement: we open up our lives to Big Tech, and in return enjoy the expediency and efficiency of its free platforms.

It is an unwritten contract that has prompted more than two billion people to sign up to Facebook and, in turn, allowed its CEO, Mark Zuckerberg, to become one of the richest men in the world.

The issue of how that extraordinary expansion was fueled has long concerned privacy activists, but the growing scandal surrounding the firm’s dealings with Cambridge Analytica has brought the issue firmly into the mainstream.

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It was assumed by most consumers that the price of their apparently benign deal with social media’s guardians was minimal, amounting to little more than targeted advertising; search on Google for a new pair of trousers, and your Facebook feed would be polluted with images of breeks afterwards. Irritating? Yes. Creepy? Undoubtedly. But we thought we understood what the algorithms were designed for, even if the design itself eluded us.

Yet the recent revelations about how the granularity of data, fused with immensely complex data science technologies, can exert a powerful influence not just over our shopping habits, but elections, is a game changer.

The answer for many is to withdraw altogether. Since the weekend, the #deletefacebook campaign has picked up momentum, with increasing numbers of consumers so appalled that they see no merit in trying to bolster their privacy. Some are even availing themselves of the opportunity to download all the information the firms holds about them, a process akin to lifting the plaster on a fresh cut.

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One customer, Dylan McKay, found that between October 2016 and July last year, Facebook collated the metadata of every mobile call he had made, including the time and duration, with similar data held on every text message he sent or received. Another, Emma Kennedy, discovered Facebook had records of every number in her mobile phone, along with a list of every social event she had attended, details of all her friends and their birthdays, and a list of every text she had sent.

There has been a predictable outcry at how the company was able to harvest such intimate details, even though any number of Facebook applications and third-party apps inform users that this information will be gathered. Most people, however, tend not to heed the advisories, and they should be afforded a degree of sympathy.

Such end user license agreements are written in hopelessly convoluted legalese; when you are whiling away a coffee break with a Facebook quiz or game, who wants to read through reams of impenetrable terms and conditions?

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But that excuse only works up to a point. Our shock at the Facebook data misuse is largely borne out of willful ignorance. We have become accustomed to social media’s convenience and ubiquity, and our optimism surrounding new technology has gone hand in hand with an unfettered promiscuity. The bad news is that even if you delete your Facebook account, the data you have consented to share with third-party developers and affiliates will still be retained by them. You can scrub your digital slate, but you can’t wipe it clean.

In any case, social media is, for many of us, a professional necessity first and a personal pleasure second. We can only retreat so far. Instead, all of us should realise that our data is not an owner-less jumble of code floating in the ether; it is our personal property, and we should necessary steps to safeguard it.

In practical terms, this means installing tracker and ad blockers on browsers, and regularly reviewing and updating privacy settings; a dreary chore, for sure, just like filing away bills or cleaning the shower cubicle, but one that cannot be put off indefinitely. Even more importantly, however, is an attitudinal shift, one which acknowledges how the frippery and furniture of Facebook – those innocuous quizzes and games – are ultimately Trojan horses for data-capture mechanisms.

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If that all sounds laborious, help is on the horizon. In May, the General Data Protection Regulation, an EU privacy law restricting how personal information is collected and used, comes into force.

Firms and app providers must make explicit, and in succinct, plain language, what data they will scoop up and the purpose for doing so. It also gives consumers the right to see what information companies have gathered.

These measures are welcome, but they are no panacea. As long as the social media industry is able to regulate itself, offering only gestures at transparency, we need to get smarter.

As consumers, we take pride in the fact we make informed choices, whether that is checking reviews of electronics products before parting with our money, or scrutinizing the tariffs of energy firms.

Guest Authored By Martyn McLaughlin. Martyn is Senior Reporter, Columnist and Leader of The Scotsman and Scot on Sunday. Mark also does Investigative Radio & TV Documentaries. Follow Martyn on Twitter.

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"Why should the social media industry remain immune from such vigilance?

We may be Facebook’s product, but we can determine how much of our lives we offer up for sale.." -MartynMcLaughlin

• 

  Post Crafted By:

  Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at YourWorldBrand.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Loveland, Colorado. I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends.  My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)

Avoiding The Social Media Minefield?

Beware of the social media minefield -- With the click of a button, you can instantly share lasting memories and moments that make your life great.

But with great power, comes great responsibility..

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Social Media Has Defined Our Generation

Remember, as soon as you sign up for a social media account, you essentially become a publisher and as such, you are held accountable for what is said on your accounts – much the same way a newspaper must adhere to a code of conduct.

Here's a quick look at 10 do's and don'ts to make your social media experience safer and, above all, legal.

Do Check Your Privacy Settings Regularly

While social media is all about sharing your life, criminals can use the information you unwittingly share to rob you blind.

Take a look at the privacy settings on your accounts, and make sure you are only sharing your personal information with those you trust.

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Do Screen Your Friends And Followers

The internet has provided Grade A creeps with the perfect mask of anonymity – so have a look at whose friend request you are accepting and regularly browse through your "followers" to make sure who they are.

You wouldn't allow a stranger to stand at your window and stare into your house, would you?

Do Post Things You Can Say Out Loud

While you can delete a post at ny time, there are always some eagle-eyed social media users out there who screenshot something they think is defamatory or racist faster than you can say 'wasn't me.'

A simple guideline to follow: If you wouldn't feel comfortable saying what you are about to post to a room full of people, or to the person you are posting about, don't post it.

No one needs to read your racist/sexist remarks anyway. We have enough negativity in our lives.

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Ask Penny Sparrow

Do Understand And Respect That Your Opinion Is Just That -- Yours

Never expect that everyone online is going to have the same opinion as you do.

Sure, you are more than welcome to share your opinion, but never get caught up in an argument online just because someone called you out on something they don't agree with.

A comment written in anger can easily come back to haunt you.

Do Make Sure Your Information Is Reliable And In The Public Interest

Be especially careful sharing info if you are not sure where it came from.

The internet is a massively useful tool for gathering and disseminating information, but be warned – some people purposefully post incorrect info to get a reaction.

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Most social apps have a "Reporting" option, so if you spot a page sharing malicious stories, report it, so that the lawmen and women of social media can shut it down.

Don't Spread Hate Speech Or Propaganda

The South African press code dictates that news services can only repeat hate speech or propaganda when reporting it is in the public interest.

You are a publisher, and should adhere to the same rules.

The media is never allowed to incite violence, spread propaganda or promote hate speech, and neither are you.

Don't Share Too Much Information

It might seem like a good idea to have your phone number visible, or your email.

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It is also tempting to share your every move – for example checking in at your favorite chill spot.

But don't overdo it.

Tech savvy criminals can use this info to steal your identity or even worse – build a timetable of your movements to hijack you or rob your house when they know you are away.

Take care when posting, and make sure you are not giving opportunists a back door key to your life.

Don't Plagiarize

If you share something you did not write, or even a photo or video you did not take, be sure to credit the author.

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Journalists for example make a living sifting through masses of information to give you the legitimate and necessary lowdown.

It's hard work, so always make sure you credit appropriately.

After all, plagiarism is illegal.

Don't Share Unverified Information

A post on social media can reach hundreds, thousands and even millions of people in a very short time.

Posting or sharing false information is a crime, and can be treated as such.

Always check with your local police or newspaper to verify information before posting it. People have been charged criminally for spreading false information, as it can cause mass panic which can lead to the injury or even death of innocent people.

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Don't Forget To Check The Comments

So you shared a political, topical or controversial story that caught your attention.

Your friends and your friends' friends see it and they start commenting, and pretty soon a healthy debate develops.

But there is always at least one person who will drop a comment that is crass, damaging or often equates to slander.

Comments posted on your pages, even if it is by another individual, are your problem.

If you cannot prove in a court of law you showed due care to at least attempt to remove the offending comment, you are liable. In other words, delete the comments you see to be defamatory or rude immediately and drop the friend in question an inbox explaining why.

Guest Authored By Laurie Smith. Laurie is News Editor at Zulu Land Observer. She is also a Mom and fellow Insomniac. Follow Laurie on Twitter.

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"Remember, as soon as you sign up for a social media account, you essentially become a publisher and as such, you are held accountable for what is said on your accounts. Much the same way a newspaper must adhere to a code of conduct." -LaurieSmith

• 

  Post Crafted By:

  Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at YourWorldBrand.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Loveland, CO  where I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends.  My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)

YOUR Social Media Troll Repellent?

On social media, you get to catch up with old friends, make new connections, and coo over cute baby photos. Although you're supposed to enjoy these visits to Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram, a persistent commenter or obnoxious "friend" can ruin your experience..

That's why these services provide ways for you to fight back. Here are the steps you can take to protect your privacy and slay trolls on three of the world's biggest social networks.

Unlike Twitter and Instagram, which we discuss below, Facebook doesn't make your posts visible to the whole internet by default. So other users will only see your photos, links, and other information if you have chosen to friend them. You can adjust this extra layer of protection every time you post by choosing to make the update public or to restrict it to only a certain number of friends.

You can select who gets to see your own posts, but that doesn't stop your friends from tagging you in public posts. To prevent people from posting on your timeline or tagging you in photos, you can limit this activity from your Timeline and Tagging settings page. One of the options lets you review any tags you're mentioned in before they appear in your News Feed.

If you've friended someone, but they start giving you unwanted attention, you can easily cut off their access: Head to their profile page and clicking on the Friends button to find the Unfriend option. That person won't get an alert that they've been unfriended, but they might notice if they load up your profile and see the Add Friend option.

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It's Not Me, It's You..Unfriending on Facebook

To keep people even further away, you can block them. When you do this, they can't see anything you post, add you as a friend, send you messages, tag you in posts and photos, or invite you to events and groups. It's a pretty comprehensive way of keeping someone at arm's length. Simply click on the three dots to the right of the cover photo on any profile page, then choose Block from the menu.

On the same menu is the option to report someone. You should only take this step if you think the person in question is in violation of Facebook's Community Standards. Reportable offenses include bullying, harassment, and direct threats—so if someone's going too far, tell Facebook about it.

When harassing behavior veers into blackmail, you can go beyond the standard report option. If someone is threatening to blackmail you or reveal intimate photos of you, Facebook has a separate form here that you should use to turn in the culprit.

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You Get a Full Explanation of What Blocking Means Before You Go Through With It

Now you can pick and choose who gets to see your information on Facebook. But what about the information you get to look at? You can also tweak the sort of content you see in your News Feed by clicking on the small drop-down arrows next to everything that appears in your feed. These menus let you hide certain types of posts, or even certain people. Check out our full guide to cleaning up your News Feed so the content you see will appeal more to your personal taste.

Twitter

As a default, Twitter lets the public access all of your posts. However, it does give you the option of making your profile private, which means only approved followers will see your tweets and be able to get in contact with you. In private mode, you miss out on some of Twitter's features—for example, your followers can't retweet your tweets—but in exchange, it minimizes the amount of unwanted attention you'll get right from the beginning.

If you want to set your account to private, head to the Safety menu in your Twitter settings and tick the box marked Protect my Tweets. All your existing followers will automatically get into your private club; you must specifically approve new ones. People without approval can still see your profile page on Twitter, but they won't be able to read your tweets.

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Twitter Lets You Protect Your Tweets

If another Twitter user starts to harass you, you have two ways to shut them up: muting and blocking. When you click the arrow on an individual tweet, a drop-down menu that includes both options will appear. You can also access these methods by clicking the three dots on profile pages. On profiles, you can also report people for violating Twitter's rules and terms—and "abusive or harmful content" certainly counts as a violation.

Here's what each choice does. If you mute someone, you simply won't see their tweets. Why can't you just unfollow them? Even if you don't follow a person, you'll get notifications about any of their posts that mention or reply to you. To avoid seeing all of their tweets, you must unfollow and mute them (if you still want to follow the account you've muted, these notifications will continue to pop up and the person can still send you direct messages). Muting is a gentler way of hiding someone from your Twitter experience without blocking them.

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Twitter Lets You Remove Or Completely Block Other Users

Blocking, on the other hand, is much more comprehensive: Blocked accounts can't follow you or be followed by you, and they can't send you direct messages either. If you block someone, they won't receive a notification, but (unlike with muting) they will be able to see that they've been blocked if they visit your profile page—because none of your tweets will show up. You won't receive any notifications from accounts you block. If someone blocks you, you won't get notifications when they mention you, unless their conversation threads pull in other people who currently follow you.

Don't remember whom you're avoiding? Log into your Twitter settings online, and you can view lists of the accounts you've muted and blocked. If you want to reverse your decisions, you can do that as well.

If a large group of Twitter users begins to harass you, you can take steps to protect yourself from the pile-on. For example, the Notification settings let you hide alerts from accounts you don't follow and accounts that don't follow you. Perhaps people are creating new accounts just to troll you—in that case, try hiding alerts from new accounts, accounts with the default avatar, and accounts with no confirmed email address or phone number. These broader blocks give you another way to tidy up your Twitter experience and hide troublesome users.

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Instagram

If your Instagram feed is set to public, any Instagram user in the world can happen across your photos and like or comment on them. Thad said, some photographers on the platform would prefer to reach as wide of an audience as possible, even if that means compromising on privacy. They can leave their accounts public.

For those who want to make absolutely sure that only certain people can see their pictures, Instagram lets you set your profile to private. Simply open the app and go to the Settings page, where you can adjust the privacy. This should head off most unwanted attention before it starts.

Whether your Instagram is private or public, specific users can still creep on you. Head them off by opening their profile pages, tapping the three dots, and choosing Block. They won't get an alert that you've taken this action, but they'll no longer be able to message you, see your Instagram feed, or find your profile page on the network. If their behavior crosses a line, choose Report from the same menu to flag up inappropriate or spam accounts to Instagram's powers-that-be.

What if people have left inappropriate or abusive comments on your pictures?

From your own profile page, tap the three dots (Android) or the cog icon (iOS). Choose Comments from the menu to hide specific words and phrases from your pictures. Instagram has a default list of what it calls "the most common inappropriate and offensive words," and you can add extra words you don't want to see as well. Any comment that contains a word that matches the list of forbidden phrases will be automatically hidden from view.

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You Can Filter out Offensive or Inappropriate Comments From Instagram's Settings

For extra security, you can turn off comments completely—but only on a photo-by-photo basis. Go to one of your posts, tap the three dots, then choose Turn Off Commenting. If you change your mind, you can turn it back on through the same menu.

Finally, you hide your Stories from particular people by going to your profile page, tapping on the three dots (Android) or the cog icon (iOS), and selecting Story Settings. The option at the top of the menu lets you hide Story posts from particular followers. Whether or not you make your feed fully private, these options will help you handle most forms of unwanted attention.

Guest Authored By David Nield. David is a Freelance Tech and Science Writer for Gizmodo, Popular Science, Tech Radar, T3, New Atlas, The Guardian etc. Follow David on Twitter.

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“Hide your Stories from particular people by going to your profile page, tapping on the three dots (Android) or the cog icon (iOS), and selecting Story Settings.

The option at the top of the menu lets you hide Story posts from particular followers.

Whether or not you make your feed fully private, these options will help you handle most forms of unwanted attention..”

• 

  Authored by:

  Fred Hansen Pied Piper of Social Media Marketing at YourWorldBrand.com & CEO of Millennium 7 Publishing Co. in Loveland, Colorado. I work deep in the trenches of social media strategy, community management and trends.  My interests include; online business educator, social media marketing, new marketing technology, skiing, hunting, fishing and The Rolling Stones..-Not necessarily in that order ;)