It seems like there are many people in my life that fully believe Facebook is a sacred place. A place of rainbows and daisies, where everyone has your best interests at heart and anyone untrustworthy is barred at the gates. These are the people that let their friend’s friend’s friends see their entire profile, complete with family pics, a complete set of personal details and their life history.
These people need a slap.
It is unfortunate that, in reality, Facebook is filled, less with angels, more with trolls. Unless you can be completely sure that every single one of the 487 people you list as friends are respectful, honest human beings, there will always be people on your page that you don’t really know, and sure as hell shouldn’t trust.
Of course, it might be that these people have an uncontrollable desire for someone to burgle their house/mug them/ steal their identity, in which case, smearing their life on Facebook is a great idea.
However, if that’s not ideal in your mind, you might want to think about what’s on your profile. Here are ten things you should never put on Facebook for safety reasons.
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This is a ridiculously simple one. Do you want people that you don’t know turning up at your house uninvited? No? Then don’t put it on Facebook. How many postcards were you looking to expect?!
Think about it – the people who need your phone number most likely already have it, whether it’s a friend or your bank’s IVR system, and those who don’t can go about it the good old fashioned way and ask you for it if they want it. Also, for God’s sake, don’t EVER make one of those public “Lost my fone, nos plz!!!” groups unless you want the prank calls to roll in.
OK, having 100 Happy Birthday messages is great for confirmation that, yes, people do love you (don’t worry; I’m not mean enough to tell you to give up that). But do you really need the year of your birth up there? Identity thieves must have one of the easiest jobs of all.
Yes, your new Rolex might be faaabulous, but are you trying to tell people to mug you?
Again, this is just making it easy for anyone who fancies a gander around your house while you’re out. Look everyone, I’m going to be in Malaga for a week with the rest of my family/housemates! Who’d like a free 3D TV?
Apart from being horrendously annoying, uploading 20 pictures a day of your child and tagging them as “My Little Crystalle Maycee Smith” isn’t going to do them any good in the long run. It’s also a bit creepy and can also cause the trouble to your kids by bullies.
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First of all, why does everyone need to know you’re at Tesco with four of your friends – surely everyone who needed to know was already there? Secondly, you’re once again letting thieves know you’re not home and about how long they’ve got to pinch your laptop, TV and games console.
Why don’t you draw a map? Look, here’s the window I always leave open at night for ventilation!
You’re not doing anyone any favours by uploading these kind of photos. It could even land you in trouble with the police as an amateur crook found out when he stole gas from a police car. If you are doing something that could be construed as illegal or even distasteful, just think about how your Nan would react if she saw it. In fact maybe it’s best to unfriend your Nan completely. Sorry Nan.
Also Check : 8 Reasons Why Your Parents Shouldn't Be Your Facebook Friend
If you’ve got your mother’s maiden name, your primary school and the name of your first pet on your profile, I will laugh when you get hacked.
So, you may want to take a look at your profile again and have a look at the security settings just to make sure. You wouldn’t want to be making any of these mistakes, would you?
James Duval is an IT specialist who is addicted to his Xbox. Given the choice, he would rather spend his days roaring around the world on his motorbike seeing the greatest architecture the globe has to offer. He lives for the sound of a great guitar riff. Currently, he writes for Optilead.co.uk
These people need a slap.
It is unfortunate that, in reality, Facebook is filled, less with angels, more with trolls. Unless you can be completely sure that every single one of the 487 people you list as friends are respectful, honest human beings, there will always be people on your page that you don’t really know, and sure as hell shouldn’t trust.
Of course, it might be that these people have an uncontrollable desire for someone to burgle their house/mug them/ steal their identity, in which case, smearing their life on Facebook is a great idea.
However, if that’s not ideal in your mind, you might want to think about what’s on your profile. Here are ten things you should never put on Facebook for safety reasons.
Also Check :
10 Tips For Safe Social Media Use
How To Spot Fake Facebook Accounts (Infographic)
Tips for Smartphone Safety & Avoiding Identity Theft (Infographic)
10 Things you Should Never Put on Facebook
1. Your Home Address
This is a ridiculously simple one. Do you want people that you don’t know turning up at your house uninvited? No? Then don’t put it on Facebook. How many postcards were you looking to expect?!
2. Your Phone Number
Think about it – the people who need your phone number most likely already have it, whether it’s a friend or your bank’s IVR system, and those who don’t can go about it the good old fashioned way and ask you for it if they want it. Also, for God’s sake, don’t EVER make one of those public “Lost my fone, nos plz!!!” groups unless you want the prank calls to roll in.
3. Your Date of Birth
OK, having 100 Happy Birthday messages is great for confirmation that, yes, people do love you (don’t worry; I’m not mean enough to tell you to give up that). But do you really need the year of your birth up there? Identity thieves must have one of the easiest jobs of all.
4. Photos Showing Valuable Items
Yes, your new Rolex might be faaabulous, but are you trying to tell people to mug you?
5. Your Holiday Details
Again, this is just making it easy for anyone who fancies a gander around your house while you’re out. Look everyone, I’m going to be in Malaga for a week with the rest of my family/housemates! Who’d like a free 3D TV?
6. Tagged Photos of Your Kids
Apart from being horrendously annoying, uploading 20 pictures a day of your child and tagging them as “My Little Crystalle Maycee Smith” isn’t going to do them any good in the long run. It’s also a bit creepy and can also cause the trouble to your kids by bullies.
Also Check :
Top 10 Things to Avoid on Pinterest
5 Best Tips for Safe Online Shopping (Infographic)
7. Tagged Posts About Where You and Your Friends Are
First of all, why does everyone need to know you’re at Tesco with four of your friends – surely everyone who needed to know was already there? Secondly, you’re once again letting thieves know you’re not home and about how long they’ve got to pinch your laptop, TV and games console.
8. Photos Showing the Layout of Your Home
Why don’t you draw a map? Look, here’s the window I always leave open at night for ventilation!
9. Photos of You and Your Friends in Compromising Situations
You’re not doing anyone any favours by uploading these kind of photos. It could even land you in trouble with the police as an amateur crook found out when he stole gas from a police car. If you are doing something that could be construed as illegal or even distasteful, just think about how your Nan would react if she saw it. In fact maybe it’s best to unfriend your Nan completely. Sorry Nan.
Also Check : 8 Reasons Why Your Parents Shouldn't Be Your Facebook Friend
10. Anything that Could be Used to Answer a Security Question
If you’ve got your mother’s maiden name, your primary school and the name of your first pet on your profile, I will laugh when you get hacked.
So, you may want to take a look at your profile again and have a look at the security settings just to make sure. You wouldn’t want to be making any of these mistakes, would you?
James Duval is an IT specialist who is addicted to his Xbox. Given the choice, he would rather spend his days roaring around the world on his motorbike seeing the greatest architecture the globe has to offer. He lives for the sound of a great guitar riff. Currently, he writes for Optilead.co.uk