May 8, 2011

Antisocial Networking! 10 Ways to stay safe from online thuggery

I hear stories all the time of how someone posted information on a social networking site and became a victim of horrible crimes because of it. There are libraries of information about you on the internet but thankfully most people do not know how to get into them. That is until you post that information on your facebook or tweet it for the whole world to see.

  1. Don’t talk about vacations or outings that are coming up!  You are telling burglars when the best time is to rob your house/apartment.
  2. Don’t post pictures! Every digital camera and camera phone imprints GPS coordinates of where the picture was taken (see Geo-tagging). You are telling everyone where you are down to a few feet. Use a metadata removal tool to remove those pesky details before putting them up for you fans to see. That picture of you in the mirror will pinpoint your residence on google maps!
  3. Don’t say you are single! If you want to find a date use a dating site. You are really telling would be thugs you are alone.
  4. Set your privacy settings, and check them regularly. If you are exposing your profile to the whole world it will not take long for someone to hunt you down…. to your current location. Only expose your profile/information to people you can trust to know your exact location and personal history.
  5. Don’t meet strangers alone in a strange place. Always bring friends and always meet at a very public place. And don’t leave without letting a friend or family member know where you will be.
  6. Don’t set or say your age.  Most sexual predators look for specific age ranges, its best to not even be on their list of candidates.
  7. Don’t post anything you wouldn’t want your grandmother or boss(or future boss) to see. Guess what, your grandmother and boss probably are already watching you on facebook. It isn’t funny to explain that picture of you flashing your junk to a future employer or prospective spouse!
  8. Don’t post information on relationships. If you are going through a breakup or seeing a new special someone, there is bound to be someone that is going to get pissed and do something.
  9. Be careful about your views. I read the other day of a home invasion after the perpetrators read on facebook the family was against gun ownership. Don’t be that guy, if you are that opinionated donate or call your representatives.
  10. Vet your friends/followers. Nobody likes creeps, and letting them stay on your page is an invitation for trouble. Regularly going through your friends list / followers and booting anyone that you don’t personally know or care for can go a long way.