You’ve most likely heard of someone being hacked on social media, or scammed by a cyber thief, using information these platforms provide about the user. 

Social media is great, no doubt, there’s easy communication, it enables us to interact with people from all walks of life, regardless of where they are, simply put, its benefits are many.  However, social media also has its dark side, and we are constantly warned to be mindful of how we use it. Here are eight ways to play it safe on social media. 

Use secure Wi-Fi

Using random Wi-Fi, especially in public spaces, may be alerting hackers to get access to your personal information through your phone and accounts. This opens doors for them.

Do not respond to every friend request

Having many followers on social media has become a great accomplishment. Especially on Twitter and Instagram, everyone wants to increase the number of followers by accepting any random request. Some even end up buying new accounts with many followers.

Have two accounts

Having two accounts, personal and professional, may help you stay safe on social media. Get to know exactly how to use them and what to share on which.

Be mindful while agreeing terms

Be cautious with the cookies you accept. Most of these cookies have terms that may allow the user to get access to your personal information, they are made for a purpose, which is why most of them are too long. Many people just agree to the terms, without taking the time to read them. Take a minute at least to check through. 

Be discreet 

A great way to alert thieves is, for example, posting that you travelled with your family for a vacation. It is okay to post happy family photos but not as an on-going activity, post them at a safer time. Why should you even have your home address and number in your profile? 

Use different logins

Signing into a new account using the same email and password might be giving your unknown hacker access to all of your sites. It is advised that you use different logins to different accounts. 

 Use strong passwords

Be mindful when coming up with a password. Use passwords that contain both letters and numbers. Avoid passwords that contain just your name, date of birth, home place, to avoid hackers getting access to your account easily. These are the things that are known by people.