This week's topic is a great reminder of some silly mistakes we can all make in the name of our vanity. Who does not love to share about something fun they are doing. Or somewhere nice they visited. There are so many reasons why we share. According to McMillan, Over-sharing on social media sends positive waves to the brain just like eating chocolate experts say. (McMillan, 2012, p.1)
This is a great article about why we love to share. Do not feel so bad if you have over shared. Most people have:
Most people would not leave their house unlocked yet they tend to neglect to be careful about their online persona. Social Media Network Security exists to prevent us from falling pray to the following dangers:
According to 5 Threats To Your Security When Using Social Media:
Getting your computer hacked
Allowing strangers to locate you
Letting burglars know your whereabouts
Being overconfident about being safe
Hence the importance of establishing Social Media Policies and guidelines to guard your your personal information while still having fun online.
The following checklist will ensure you use social media safely:
- Create a list of all social media tools used
- You want to ensure you are making changes to all of the tools you use and not just the most frequently used ones. If you no longer use a tool delete your account.
- Update Passwords
- Ensure all passwords are at least 8 characters long and with symbols. All of your tools need to be secure. Ensure your password is changed every 90 days
- Use a lock password tool to store multiple passwords
- With more complex password it is important to not write the new password on pieces of paper or on files in the computer. Use a secure tool to store passwords
- Check the privacy setting in all tools
- Protect your data by ensuring your data is not visible to all
- Check for tighter than usual settings and evaluate each post before posting
- Search your name on a regular basis online
- To ensure nobody is impersonating you and also to ensure nobody posted anything inappropriate about you
- Teach your kids and family members to follow the same guidelines
- Just as you would in your company
- Think before posting
- Do not post anything you think you might regret in the future
Lock your house and your online life:
References
5 Threats To Your Security When Using Social Media - AllTwitter. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2014, from https://www.mediabistro.com/alltwitter/5-social-media-threats_b51841
Over-sharing on social media is just like sex, experts say | Digital Trends. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2014, from http://www.digitaltrends.com/social-media/over-sharing-on-social-media-is-just-like-sex-experts-say/
Study helps explain why we over-share on Facebook, Twitter - Los Angeles Times. (n.d.). Retrieved February 25, 2014, from http://articles.latimes.com/2012/may/08/business/la-fi-tn-self-disclosure-study-
Hi Ana,
ReplyDeleteThe article about why we love to share on Facebook was very interesting! It still amazes me that people would risk their security in order for a few seconds of a “thrill” or “high” from talking about themselves on social media. That two second high could result in a lifetime of consequences if it leads to a crime. My company was subject to a large data breach in 2010 and I’m sure we’ve all felt the pain from the Target breach a few months ago. It’s hard to narrow down exactly the source of those breaches, however it was likely an unaware employee or customer that allowed access to personal information.
Coming out of that data breach, my company has instituted strong controls such as multi-factor authentication when accessing our email tool, background checks and drug testing for all those accessing data, and removal of access to internet webmail as that could increase risk. I see you work at IBM so I’m sure you have many security policies and procedures in place. To the extent that you can discuss them in public, have you noticed any further changes in security at IBM as a result of the recent data breaches? Does IBM allow access to social media sites through your work computer?
DeleteHi Meagan,
Thanks for commenting on Ana’s blog and welcome to our discussion. I also get amazed that people risk their security just two get a few seconds of fame. Unfortunately with the revolution of social media people are just signing uvledgp for as many platforms as they can without really understanding the means and methods of each platform. Luckily for us we are taking a graduate degree program in social media, but others are just going online and signing up for facebook, foursquare, twitter and other social media platforms without going over there rights and privileges and releasing critical info to the public without realizing that such data could potentially impact them negatively in the present and future.
You bring up a great point about data breach as we have seen firms such as target, have had their databases broken into and key data has been compromised. According to IT Businessedge.com there are 8 key ways to prevent data breach and I will list a few for your reference below:-
• Institute end user security awareness- Training insiders helps eliminate mistakes that could lead to a breach, as well as helps them notice odd behavior by malicious insiders or fraudsters.
• Craft an encryption policy and enforce it- These should be emphasized for laptops
• Deploy intrusion detection and prevention- Intrusion detection and prevention should be used for all mission-critical systems and systems that are accessible via the Internet, such as Web servers, e-mail systems, servers that house customer or employee data, active directory server, or other systems that are deemed mission critical.
For the complete list please review the following article and provide me your thoughts you have on these safety measures:-
http://www.itbusinessedge.com/slideshows/show.aspx?c=79585&slide=4
Reference:-
"8 Ways to Prevent Data Breaches." Business Technology News, Analysis and Context. N.p., n.d. Web. 27 Feb. 2014. .
Hi Meagan,
ReplyDeleteThank You so much for your post! You are absolutely right to assume that IBM has very tight security regulations. Specially our technical services division where we deal with external clients data and sometimes we work from our client's site. Every time that there is a security breach of data of a major corporation we are forced to revisit our security guidelines to make sure they are still tight enough. In addition to that we have internal audit teams that are constantly checking our systems to make sure they are secure. Plus external auditors come in on a regular basis too with the same purpose. Security is a major part of our jobs at the Technical Services Division.
IBM does allow access to social media sites on our work computers but that changes based the network you are logged into and also on the actual work that you do. For instance, at a client location, the expectation is that you will follow the same rules as the other employees of that company. So for instance, one of our major bank clients does not allow access to social media sites. That means IBMers doing work for that client have to follow the same rules.
You made an interesting observation in that we all pay the price when there is a breach. The company's rules tend to become harder. Did you feel that losing access to the Internet made your job harder in any ways? I feel that access to the Internet was important for our folks to do research online and also to look for technical solutions. Did that have any impact in your productivity level?
Thank You again for your post!
Best Regards,
Ana
Hi Ana,
DeleteGreat point about working on site at clients too. It makes sense that contractors would have to follow their rules as well but like you said, I assume that affects productivity when you're now required to make sure you're following both IBM and your client's rules.
I completely understand the need for tighter security, however, I do think that it affects productivity. The removal of access to webmail means that I cannot check my work email remotely without VPN, which means I may not be able to get back to a client question as quickly as possible. Also, our new authentication takes me an additional 10 minutes to sign in to our tool, which adds up in the end.
I guess it is a small price to pay for peace of mind and no further breaches!
Hi Ana,
ReplyDeleteThank you for your post. Your posting was graphically easy to read and understand. As you have stated According to McMillan, Over-sharing on social media sends positive waves to the brain just like eating chocolate experts say. (McMillan, 2012, p.1). I see a lot of individuals overpost on social media, whether it is facebook or it is twitter. They are almost telling there lifestories. These instances I believe are very dangerous as people are knowing almost everything about you through these social media platforms. Updating passwords, thinking before posting,searching your name regularly online are great tips to make sure your identity are not stolen. Unfortunately even following these great tips doesnt ensure safety in this ever changing world. I have reviewed this artcile which provides some unique perspectives on this topic. Please review it and give me your feedback
Article:
http://www.eonetwork.org/knowledgebase/specialfeatures/pages/social-media-networks-facilitate-identity-theft-fraud.aspx
Hi Saurav,
DeleteThank You for sharing this article. I really enjoyed it. There is some really good advice such as Watch where you post and what you say, as it can be used against you later.
Only invite people to your network that you know or have met, as opposed to friends of friends and strangers. And many more.
It was also an eye opener to see real examples of malicious use of usual media. The following one was an eye opener because it is independent of our own actions. Someone can just impersonate us and cause all kids of problems. That can hurt us in many ways specially when we are trying to find a job.
False profiles can be used to fuel resume fraud or defamation of character. A Canadian reporter recently was defamed via a false profile that included misleading posts, poorly considered group memberships and intellectually inconsistent political positions.
Have you experience any problems due to over sharing? I think we are all learning to live in an era where too much information is available and it is harder to keep things private.
Reference:
How Social Media Networks Facilitate Identity Theft and Fraud | Entrepreneurs' Organization - Fueling the Entrepreneurial Engine. (n.d.). Retrieved February 28, 2014, from http://www.eonetwork.org/knowledgebase/specialfeatures/pages/social-media-networks-facilitate-identity-theft-fraud.aspx
Ana,
ReplyDeleteFirst off I would like to say great post! I thought the article about the Harvard social media study was insightful as well as eye-opening. It is no wonder that the term ‘selfie’ has engrained itself into every individual’s vocabulary, when “the test subjects would turn down money (just a few cents) to talk about someone else, in order to enjoy the more pleasurable sensation of talking about themselves,” (Netburn, 2012) you know we are all self-obsessed! Social media is meant to be a fun, engaging and informative environment, but like you said, you still wouldn’t leave your house without locking the doors and windows first.
My favorite point you made is to create a list of sites you use and delete the ones you don’t. I feel this is an extremely pertinent point because as emerging technologies and sites become so easily accessible, we buy into many of these sites without thinking. If it’s the new, hot social media application, we have to have it. We fail to consider which sites are only passing fads that we no longer use but continue to allow to have access to our information. Now more than ever, many applications allow you to sign in using Facebook, ultimately granting access to more information than many realize. I know that every couple of months when I have a little down time, I go through my applications and delete my accounts followed by the application itself. Is this something you do or find that you should now do after learning about online safety and security measures?
References:
Netburn, D. (2012, May 8). Facebook, Twitter, other social media are brain candy, study says. Retrieved from Los Angeles Times: http://articles.latimes.com/2012/may/08/business/la-fi-tn-self-disclosure-study-20120508
Hi Rhiana,
DeleteThank You so much for your post. You asked a very good question. If I actually do create an inventory of the applications and sites I have access to. I have started to do that but I confess that I am not doing a good enough job at it. I have yet to look at it and delete what I no longer need which is a weakness. We do have a tendency of signing up for things we do not need and keep our data out there for years to come. Every time I sign up for something I add it to my inventory list.. Now I need to make time to look it over and take necessary actions. I am glad to hear you have been doing that when you find some down time.
Best Regards,
Ana
Hi Rhiana,
DeleteYou made a great point that test subjects would turn down money (just a few cents) to talk about someone else, in order to enjoy the more pleasurable sensation of talking about themselves,” (Netburn, 2012) you know we are all self-obsessed!. Social media has really become self-centered and a lot of the individuals on it are using it to take selfies and talk about their day to day affairs.
I believe a lot of the time they are releasing info about themselves that is very personal in nature, whether it Is audio, video , picture or location, they are leaving themselves vulnerable to either being hacked or being physically attacked.
I completely agree on deleting sites we are no longer using or at least sign up for sites that serve a purpose to our day to day lives. I believe a lot of the time we are signing up for items just because it is the “cool” thing to do. I myself delete sites that I don’t use and also limit my information on sites that I do use. As you will see from my facebook and twitter accounts I have limited a lot of the data I share. This was purposely done to avoid a lot of my information being public.
“Facebook, Twitter, Google+, YouTube, Pinterest, LinkedIn and other social networks have become an integral part of online lives. Social networks are a great way to stay connected with others, but you should be wary about how much personal information you post”. ( Social Networks, 2014). Please review the site below as it has great tips on how to do so.
- See more at: http://www.staysafeonline.org/stay-safe-online/protect-your-personal-information/social-networks#sthash.G209Pbus.dpuf
References:
Netburn, D. (2012, May 8). Facebook, Twitter, other social media are brain candy, study says. Retrieved from Los Angeles Times: http://articles.latimes.com/2012/may/08/business/la-fi-tn-self-disclosure-study-20120508
"Social Networks." National Cyber Security Alliance. N.p., n.d. Web. 28 Feb. 2014. .
Hi Ana,
ReplyDeleteGreat post! After I read through your checklist I decided to do one of the steps – search for my name online to make sure no one is impersonating me. Luckily a quick Google search didn’t turn anything up, but I also decided to search on Facebook. While I wouldn’t necessarily say there’s no one else in the world with my name, there is another Facebook profile using the same exact name. There’s no information posted at all so I can’t tell much from it. But considering I haven’t noticed this other Lindsey Reale before, I’m wondering if it might be some sort of fake, scammer account. Kinda creepy!
I really like the points you made about over-sharing and how this actually makes people feel good, just like eating chocolate (personally, I prefer the chocolate!). I think there is a certain social acceptance that people chase after, and by sharing all the “cool” things they’re doing they’ll get this attention they’re looking for. Some people thrive off likes, retweets, friends and followers. While there’s nothing wrong with producing interesting and intriguing content, you just need to be sure not to disclose personal information in doing it.
Is there anyone you know who has had their identity stolen because of information available social media? I’ve read horror stories but (luckily!) haven’t had this happen to me.
Thanks for the insights!
Lindsey
Hi Lindsey,
DeleteWhile researching for this class I followed the same steps as you. I checked Google for my name and was glad to not find anything out there. But we never know.It is creepy to know someone out there could be using our name to do things that could cause us problems in the future.
Thankfully I have never had my identity stolen and I do not know anyone who has because of data they posted on social media. But I have had a friend drop off Facebook because she was a school teacher and some of the parents were not leaving her alone online. I also had another friend who ended up leaving Facebook because she felt like the tool was making her depressed. She kept looking at what others were sharing and started to think that her life was not as great as everyone else's. Social Media is a fairly new phenomena so we are all learning and adjusting to it as part of our day to day.
Thank You so much for your post!
Best Regards,
Ana
Enjoyed reading your post. Love the title - Our Life is an Open Book. As many people are drawn to titles to read more, this title does a good job of intriguing readers to review your post. Thanks for sharing!
ReplyDeleteThank You so much Isaac! I appreciate you stopping by!
DeleteBest Regards,
Ana
ReplyDeleteHi Ana and Lindsey,
To Keep the conversation going, I also searched my name and apparently there are a lot of Saurav Ghoshes out there. I have not had my identity stolen luckily. I do have to keep a lock and key on what I display on Facebook because my Employers are constantly looking at social media outlets. According to FoxBusiness “It used to be that job candidates were judged on their resume, cover letter and references before the in-person interview. But now with social media, job candidates are being fully examined before even stepping foot into a human resources department, and some college students might find themselves at a disadvantage” (Driscoll, 2013).
From what we are putting on social media to even having a social media profile has become a topic of discussion. “Your digital footprint says a lot about you--it’s extremely accessible and the majority of employers are checking it and doing their due diligence on you just like you should do it on them when you’re applying for a job,” says Sarah Downey, privacy analyst at Abine. “There’s a lot of stuff out there that can either hurt you or help you depending on how on top of it you are.”Tips include, remove every potentially inappropriate post/picture, keep language and grammar in mind and Googling yourself (Driscoll., 2013). Please read the following article
Article:
http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2013/06/03/what-your-social-media-reputation-says-to-employers/
So a question I pose to both of you is, if employers are checking your social media platforms, do you feel pressured to put more personal information up there such as contact info and other personal data?
Reference:
Driscol, E. (2013, June 3). What Your Social Media Reputation Says to Employers. Fox Business. Retrieved February 28, 2014, from http://www.foxbusiness.com/personal-finance/2013/06/03/what-your-social-media-reputation-says-to-employers/
Hi Saurav,
DeleteThat is a very good question! I do not feel pressured to put more personal information on my social media outlets because employers are looking at it. I actually think more carefully before I posted anything that could potential be taken the wrong way. Like the article indicated, employers are checking social media before making offers so it is important that we display the image that really represents us.
Thank You so much for sharing this great article with us!
Best Regards,
Ana
Hi Saurav, I agree with Ana. But, if there are multiple people with the same name as you on social media, you may want to post more identifying information so employers will know which profile belongs to you. This is especially important if your "name-sharer" posts less appropriate content and you'll want to make sure employers know which one is really you!
DeleteOtherwise, I would probably still limit my public content, even if I knew an employer may be searching. Thanks for keeping this convo going!
Lindsey
Hey Ana,
ReplyDeleteI like the analogy you use! I used a similar one for my post this week. I do think that people should think of internet security like they would with security of their home or personal info like a credit card. I suppose with new technologies it takes time for people to adapt and learn the ins and outs.