Today's most popular social networks are useful because with them we can have fun, communicate with friends and family, even share videos and images. However, they also contain major dangers that put their users' security and privacy at risk. In this article you will learn what are the dangers in social networks and how we can prevent them.
What dangers are there in social networks?
- Harassment or cyberbullying: they mainly affect children and adolescents who are frequently subjected to teasing, mistreatment and humiliation via social networks, as their bullies ruin their reputations with false rumors and harassment.
- Phishing: this is the method most used by cybercriminals who manage to obtain personal information (passwords or bank details) through links, websites and fake profiles.
- malware: malicious software that infects your account, mobile device and PC with the intention of stealing personal information or money.
- Privacy Issues: when you post photos, videos or comments, anyone can see and use them as they wish.
- Dependence: many people don't control the time they spend checking their social networks; They even neglect family, study, work, and relationships with friends or partner.
- Impersonation: there are many cyber criminals who create fake accounts on social networks to lure their victims and get all kinds of information that will be useful to steal, even kidnap them.
- Sharing sexual content: this is the highest risk among young people because they can exchange sexual photos or videos with strangers.
- Grooming: it is when an adult impersonates another child to gain the trust of the child or adolescents with the intention of sexually abusing the young person.
- fake news: disseminating false information to manipulate public opinion.
- Fraud: there are many frauds that take place through social networks; These include bogus sweepstakes and prizes or fraudulent job offers.
How to prevent these risks?
- Never share personal data with strangers; do not publish the telephone number or address of the place where you live, study or work.
- Don't trust all the news they post on social networks.
- Parents should constantly monitor their children's social media activity to make sure it is being used to the fullest. For this, there are several methods that can help them, for example, to monitor their child's Facebook and Messenger without them noticing.
- Keep yours private account.
- Do not accept requests from unknown people because they could be fake profiles; only accept people you know personally.
- Do not post intimate photos or videos.
- Install antivirus or antiphishing on your PC or mobile device and update it constantly. If you don't know which one to download, here we show you the best free and paid antivirus for PC and the best antivirus for Android mobiles.
- Have self-control and set a time limit for the use of social networks and stick to it.
- Most social networks such as Facebook, Instagram or Twitter have the ability to report users who constantly post offensive or harassing material. If necessary, use this option.
- Do not use the geolocation function of the applications.
- Create strong and secure passwords that are easy to remember. It is also not recommended to use the same password for all of your social media accounts.
- Never reply to messages from people claiming to be security personnel for a particular social network. No social network will ask you for further information that you entered when you registered.
- Do not trust sites that do not start with https, this is important because on the Internet there are fake sites of Facebook, Instagram, Tik Tok, Twitter, among others.
- Don't click Accept without first reading what they ask you to do.
- Usa it common sense, if you have not entered any contest, do not open promotions or publications where they tell you that you have won something.
- If you receive a message from a friend with a very interesting offer, contact that person using another means of communication to verify that the offer is true.
Don't be fooled by scammers. Follow these tips and use common sense when accepting friends, following other users, or sharing content. Now that you know the dangers of social media and how to prevent them, it's up to you to put these tips into action.
