What Does Your Social Media Reveal About You?

Social media profiles can reveal more personal information than users realize. A photo from a Seton Hall event, a birthday post or a tagged location may seem harmless on its own. Together, these details can help cybercriminals learn about your routines, identify personal connections or use that information to impersonate you or someone you know.

As Cybersecurity Awareness Month continues, the Division of Information Technology encourages the University community to review what is publicly visible on social media accounts and familiarize themselves with the privacy settings available to limit access to personal information.

Take Control of Your Privacy Settings 

Social media platforms offer controls that allow users to manage who can view their content and interact with their accounts. Although the available options vary by platform, reviewing these settings can help limit unwanted access to personal information.

Key Privacy Settings to Review

• Account privacy: Consider making your account private or limiting the audience for individual posts. Review your follower list periodically and remove unfamiliar accounts.
• Tags and mentions: Limit who can tag or mention you in posts and enable approval of tagged content before it appears on your profile, where available.
• Story visibility: Choose who can view your stories and consider restricting access to more personal updates.
• Location sharing: Review location permissions and avoid sharing your exact whereabouts in real time.
• Messages: Manage who can send you direct messages or add you to group conversations.
• Two-factor authentication: Enable an additional verification method to help prevent unauthorized access to your account.

These controls can reduce unwanted exposure, but privacy settings do not guarantee that shared information will remain private. Even content shared with a limited audience can be captured or redistributed.

Think About What Your Posts Reveal 

Even with strong privacy settings, the information you choose to share deserves careful consideration. Photos, personal milestones and location updates may contain details that could be misused.

For example, photos showing University ID cards, residence hall information or workspaces may unintentionally expose sensitive details. Birthday announcements, pet names and other personal milestones can also provide clues to answers commonly used for account recovery questions. 

Location sharing deserves particular attention. Posting your whereabouts in real time can make it easier for others to track your daily routines or determine when you are away from home. Consider sharing photos after leaving an event rather than identifying your exact location while attending.

Take a Proactive Approach to Digital Privacy

Protecting your digital identity requires looking beyond individual posts or accounts. Information shared across multiple platforms can provide a more complete picture of your personal life, even when each detail seems harmless on its own. Taking time to review older content and make adjustments to your privacy settings can help limit the information available to others.

For additional information about protecting your personal information online, the National Cybersecurity Alliance offers tips on staying safe on social media and a guide to managing privacy settings across popular social media platforms.

Categories: Science and Technology