Israel Hyman is an avid Twitter user. It runs the microblogging service to promote his site, IzzyVideo.com, and connect with customers on a more personal level. So he thought nothing of sharing some details about his recent trip to Kansas City. When he and his wife returned to their home in Arizona, they discovered that he had been robbed during their absence. There is no evidence that the tweets Hyman leads directly to the burglary. But I guess he regrets these tweets anyway, and probably will not see the details of his next visit.
Tech Digest points out that Hyman also displays a link to his Flickr page, which contained photos of his TV computers, bicycles and flat-screen, all of which were geotagged with his home address. In the context of this story, the Hyman oversharing seems pretty stupid. But it is not uncommon to reveal details about ourselves on the various social networking sites.
Tech Digest also offers five tips on how to take advantage of Twitter and other social networking sites without making yourself quite vulnerable as :.
- Protect your updates Twitter offers an option that allows only approved subscribers to view your tweets. You can access this option on the "Account" under "Settings." Just check the box at the bottom of this page. If you choose not to protect your updates, everyone can find your tweets using the search function, even if they are not following you.
- Watch your words. Once you have revealed sensitive personal information on Twitter or Facebook, no resume. Even if you delete the post, this information will still be accessible to those who are willing to put in some effort.
- Do not geo-tag all. Most new mobile phones and some cameras offer an option to automatically geo-tag your photos. Check and see if your images contain location data. If so, remove this information before uploading your images to Facebook, Flickr or Twitpic.
- Keep your staff away from your business. Tech Digest suggests that the biggest mistake of Hyman mixed his personal life and his professional life in one account. On the one hand, he shares personal information, but on the other, it is itself the promotion of foreign and acquire as many followers as he can.
- Do not click on every link that comes through. Click on each URL hyperlink on Twitter is a great way to wind accidentally by malware on your computer.
This council deserves special attention. The 140 character limit of Twitter requires that most of the links to be shortened using TinyURL or another hyperlink shortener. This prevents users verify that a link is legitimate before you click. It would be simple enough to attract readers with the promise of an interesting article or some salacious gossip, next to a link to malware.
And the personal information carelessly scattered on Twitter and other social networking sites is not only an invitation to burglars. It is also an invitation to cybercriminals. It is easier and less risky for a thief to steal your identity from your TV. And some bits of sensitive data may be all an identity thief needs to crack your email password, or find another opportunity to take advantage of you. Once he opened a fraudulent account in your name, it can buy its own TV and send you the bill.
It is certainly possible to use Twitter and other social networking sites without putting yourself in danger. Just consider the potential consequences before exposing your own personal information, or by clicking on the mystery of links. And consider investing in additional protection against these potential consequences.