Social Media Security

Social media has become a haven for hackers because of their encouragement for you to share your personal information. These sites are designed to allow you to interact and share as easily as possible but if you're not careful their use can easily leave you vulnerable to identity theft, viruses, malware, privacy violation and more.

We recommend that consider these risks when using social media:

• Posting personal information about yourself 
  • Tip: Keep the highest privacy settings and consider what you're posting
• People posting information about you
  • Tip: Review, if possible, what others publish about you on their own sites and social media and contact the website's abuse center if necessary. Be aware that photos, videos and private chat sessions can easily be shared.
• Third Party Apps and Games
  • Tip: Be careful of third party programs and apps as they can be be used to infect or access your computer
• Know who to trust
  • Tip: Only accept friends or contacts you know and review their account to ensure they haven't been hacked.
• Complex Privacy Settings
  • Tip: Most social networking sites offer privacy controls. Make use of them and review them often as they can change and are often complex.

Informational Links

► Privacy Commissioner of Canada: Your Privacy Rights
► Privacy Commissioner of Canada: Online Privacy
► Privacy Commissioner of Canada: Social Networking
► US-Cert (US Computer Emergency Readiness Team): Staying Safe on Social Network Sites