Control, manage and secure your digital footprint on World Social Media Day with Bitdefender

June 30 is World Social Media Day, a global celebration that recognizes the positive impact social media has had on individual relationships and communication.

The social networks of today are a catalyst for change, and have revolutionized the way people interact in both their personal and professional lives.

In 2023, checking social media feeds has become a daily habit for 4.9 billion people. Despite all the convenience of these digital tools, though, they are finding it harder to manage their challenges – be it in terms of security, privacy or reputation.

This year alone, Twitter and Meta-owned Facebook and Instagram have undergone important changes, with new verified policies leaving users on edge as they struggled to balance the convenience of SMS-based 2FA with their wallet and security.

And, this is just a blip in the lives of netizens who are faced with the good, the bad and the ugly side of social media usage daily.

On this 13^th World Social Media Day, we would like to remind users about the importance of accurately assessing the threats and damages of increased social media usage by promoting healthy and conscientious social media habits that will decrease any privacy, security and reputational risks to you, your family and kids.

Here are our top four recommendations to help you safely navigate your social media platforms:

Sharing less is best in terms of cybersecurity and privacy

With every social media post, picture and status update, you share personal information about you, your friends and your family. Think twice before hitting that post button and always check with others if it’s ok for you to post or tag them in a photo.

Moreover, never make your contact information (email address, phone number, home address) or other sensitive information public. This type of info can make it very easy for attackers to target you outside the social media platform.

Always think about the consequences of what you share on social media

Users on social media are always harming their online reputation, be it with a nasty comment, a mean tweet or an inappropriate photo. Everything you do online can have life-changing consequences by impacting your education, your job, your romantic relationships, your business or your family.

This is especially damaging for teenagers and young adults who are more careless with exposing inappropriate information with disregard to how it may harm the way other seem them both in the digital and real world.

Be a role model for your followers and friends and set an example of digital citizenship by promoting good online behaviors no matter the situation.

Use and review your security and privacy settings as often as possible

Overlooking security and privacy settings create additional threats to your online security. Never ignore this step. Diligently check every setting, especially if you are helping a younger individual set up their account. Use unique passwords, enable any extra security measures (such as 2FA or MFA) whenever possible and closely select your audience, friends or followers.

Remember, the minimum age for social media use is 13, according to platforms’ policies.

React immediately to online harassment, account compromises and data breaches

If you or someone you know ever fall victim to any form of online abuse or a hacking attempt, immediately report the incident directly to the platform/or police and try to limit the damages.

Immediately change the password and inform your friends and family of any account compromise, and closely monitor other accounts for suspicious activity in case of a data breach.

As a rule of thumb, never click on unsolicited links and too-good-to-be-true offers, as they may harm you financially or compromise your device with malicious software.

Always stay in control of your social media footprint and whatever you share online

Bitdefender Digital Identity can help you protect your identity and hunt down any social media impersonators who may try to ruin your reputation. The dedicated identity protection tool maps out your digital footprint, allowing you to easily manage personal data and assess personal data exposure and privacy risks, by offering a trouble-free way to understand how security breaches can individually affect you.

You won’t just stay on top of data breaches and leaks with 24/7 data breach monitoring and real-time alerts for privacy threats, but easily manage your privacy and ad settings on all major social platforms, including Twitter, Facebook and Instagram.

Our dedicated digital identity protection tool helps you find out old accounts linked to up to 5 email addresses, offering you a 360 view of your digital footprint and data exposure to help you minimize the trail of personal information that can harm your finances and reputation.