Safety tips about publishing personal information
One of the most important concerns in the field of Online Safety is related to intentionally publishing personal information on the Internet. In this article, you will learn about the tips that you need to pay attention to when publishing personal or private information on the Internet.
7 essential tips that you should pay attention to when publishing information on the Internet
Many people publish their photos and personal information on various sites and social networks without paying attention to the consequences of their activities. Name, national code, pictures of identity documents, job information, contact number, address of residence and even the location of your child school are among these personal information. This is while publishing personal information in many cases leads to problems and even financial and life issues. Due to the importance of this topic, it is necessary to know the following points before publishing personal information on the Internet and social networks:
1. Don’t forget that the information you publish can be accessed by anyone
When publishing information on the Internet, consider the worst case scenario. Assume that anyone can view your information. These people can include your friends, family members, teachers, colleagues, thieves, hackers and anyone else.
Do not publish any content in hopes that my page is private or that my profile picture can only be seen by people I know. Imagine that one of these friends one day may break up with you and abuse this information or personal images. Even the platform where you publish your information can be hacked. In this case, your information can be published publicly.
2. Ask yourself these questions before releasing personal information
Before publishing any kind of information on the Internet, ask yourself, if others see this information, will there be any danger to you? When answering these questions, don’t forget that the word “others” includes not only people you know but also people you don’t know. Even if you have only allowed certain people to access this information, do not assume that others cannot see this information in any way.
If you want to publish a photo of your family trip on your Instagram page, wouldn’t it be harmful for you ? For example, you may find an empty house when you return home. Yes, don’t be surprised. The thief, who knew you, took the opportunity and stole valuables from the house knowing about your family trip.
3. Putting your private information together can be a hassle
Your different information on different sites and social networks can cause more trouble for you when they are put together. You may publish your personal opinions and beliefs under a fake name on a site. But in your user profile, the email address you registered with can be the same email address that is placed next to your real name on another site. If you are a university professor, adding this email address to your page on the university website will also identify your job. A person who is looking for this information does not need to put a lot of effort into collecting it. In most cases, a simple search in Google is sufficient.
4. Be careful with the metadata of your images and files
Metadata is data that provides information about other data. For example, in the case of an audio music file, the metadata includes information such as the name of the singer or artist, music genre, etc.
It is better to know that metadata can be dangerous. For example, most smartphones are able to automatically save the geographic coordinates of the location as metadata on the photo file when taking a photo. Releasing these images regardless of this issue can violate your privacy. If you take a photo of the delicious food you ordered in a restaurant near your home and publish it on your personal page along with the geographic coordinates, it will not be difficult to find your exact location. Therefore, before publishing your files and images, make sure that sensitive metadata is not stored on the file.
5. Content published on the Internet cannot necessarily be deleted
You may say to yourself that you can completely delete the images and information that you have published on the Internet whenever you want. It is better to put aside this misconception right now.
You are free to publish information on the Internet. But the reality is that you won’t have full control over it once it’s published. Even if you delete this information, it will remain legally on the servers of websites and social networks for a long time. Even after this period, your data can still be recovered through backup versions.
6. Limit the amount of personal information you share
Prevention is always better than cure. This also applies to personal information that you publish on the Internet. Before publishing information, ask yourself: Do I need to publish this information? If you don’t need to take a video of your new car, your family trip, or your child’s birthday party and share it with others, don’t do it.
As much as possible, do not publish your private information anywhere
The sensitivity of private information is not limited to its public release. When registering on various sites and systems, you are usually asked for your personal information. This information is often not released publicly. However, it is better to ask yourself such questions when filling out the registration forms: Do I need to provide my accurate and real information to the site owners or publish this information in my profile? Many sites, according to their rules, allow you to use a pseudonym when registering or even start anonymously. You can use temporary email addresses instead of your personal email address in your unnecessary web browsing and registration. In this way, you will not only be safe from spam, but your identity will also be protected.
On the other hand, many sites and systems ask you for personal and detailed information to provide services. Authentication, entering the national code, contact number or real address are among these information. In such cases, it is better to ask yourself:
- Does the site or service in question have enough credibility?
- Will the owners or employees of the platform not abuse your information?
- Are the security measures observed in this system?
Do not forget that no system is 100% safe. Many times, various government and private systems around the world have been attacked and the personal information of their users has been exposed. So, add the following questions to your list:
- Is it necessary to use these services and provide your personal information to them?
- Is there an alternative to the service that does not ask you for this information?
7. Avoid publishing illegal information and content
Publishing others’ private information, publishing vulgar images, insulting others, republishing other people’s content without permission, publishing false content, encouraging others to commit crimes, and teaching methods of committing crimes are among the things that are considered illegal according to the laws of most countries. Publishing such content can make you face jail and the law. Do not forget that illegal content is not limited to the above. In most cases, when publishing information and contents, it is necessary to follow the laws of your country in addition to international laws.