Facebook is an incredibly popular social media platform that helps people stay in touch, share news, and express themselves. Most users are familiar with its privacy settings and feel secure that the information they post is being seen only by trusted friends and family members. But many are too comfortable with the platform, freely sharing news and information and forgetting they’re on the internet, where dangers lurk. Here are five things you should never post on Facebook, no matter how private your account.
You or Your Family’s Full Birth Dates
Everyone loves getting birthday messages on Facebook, feeling love and warmth from friends and family members near and far. But when you list your birthday in your Facebook profile, you’re offering criminals a key piece of information they can use to steal your identity. If you absolutely must have those birthday greetings on your wall, at least leave your birth year off your profile.
Facebook is known for making frequent changes and adding new features, so while you may think you understand its privacy settings, it’s important to be aware of updates and modifications. Check out Facebook’s Terms of Service to stay in the loop.
Your Relationship Status
It’s tempting to make a bold statement and change your relationship status to “single” the second you end a relationship, but it’s not a good idea. A newly single status can alert stalkers and creepers you’re back on the market. It also lets them know you might be home alone since your former significant other is no longer around. Leaving your relationship status blank on your profile is the easiest way to keep things private.
Your Current Location
It’s easy to broadcast your location on Facebook with the Check-In feature and the app’s location services. Many users don’t give revealing their location a second thought because they’re eager to actively share what they’re experiencing. But giving out your location is a bad idea.
Not broadcasting your relationship status helps with simple privacy concerns, as well. Single status might be a beacon to others eager to find you a date, while announcing a new relationship is sure to get you unwanted commentary from nosy observers.
You may have acquaintances looking to track you down. If you’re at the airport or on vacation, you’re alerting potential thieves that it would be a great time to rob you. Adding details in your post about vacation specifics can reveal exactly how long you’ll be gone, as well. Share those vacation pictures when you get home, and consider disabling Location Services on the Facebook app.
You’re Home Alone
Just as revealing your location when you’re away from home is risky, sharing that you’re home alone is even more unwise. This warning is especially true for teenagers and other younger Facebook users.
While it’s easy to feel safe and secure that only friends are reading your posts, it’s possible you have an unintended audience. Sharing that you’re home alone puts you at risk, so don’t do it.
Pictures of Your Kids and Other People’s Kids
Proud parents can be overzealous when it comes to posting pictures of their children and their children’s friends. People commonly share daily activities and special events, tagging everyone involved and filling everyone in on our activities.
Even with privacy settings you’re comfortable with, this level of sharing is unwise. Issues such as privacy, bullying, and digital kidnapping, along with the reality that dangerous people are out there, make oversharing our children’s lives a bad idea. If you must post pictures of your children, remove personal information such as their full names and birth dates, and don’t tag them in pictures. Make sure you’re not broadcasting locations, as well.
Never post and tag pictures of other people’s children without permission. Send parents a link to the picture, and they can tag themselves and post if they like.
Get the Latest Tech News Delivered Every Day
