Millions of people use social media platforms to stay in touch. Any events in the family are also announced through these platforms. Your education, work history, the city of residence, contact number, date of birth, email address etc., are all updated on these sites. What I am trying to say is that no information is personal anymore. Anyone with a little zeal can easily get hold of this information and use it against you.
Although these popular social media platforms claim to have strict privacy policies and firewalls in place to prevent data theft, it is still not foolproof. When Mark Zuckerberg’s social media accounts have been hacked, how can you be safe? Most of the information that you supply on these sites to create an account is used in your bank accounts like your name, date of birth, phone number etc. It is almost like showing a red flag to the bull so that he comes and attacks you.
Now think in terms of the pics that you post online. According to you, these are some pics you wanted to share with your friends and family about the good time you had at a long deserved vacation. But for a person with a bent frame of mind, these are the pics that introduce him or her to your entire family, especially the children. Children are most susceptible to being exploited, mainly because they are very trusting. In such a scenario, is it really necessary to post their pics? You have handed your entire personal life on a silver platter to, say, a stalker or a person with a personal vendetta against you. Again is it wise to wear rose-colored glasses and forget about these repercussions?
Blaming the website for the woes that befall you due to your personal information being leaked is useless. You are an informed person who willingly made a choice to be exploited even after knowing the Perils of Social Media. Becoming an ostrich and hiding your head under the sand to escape danger is the most foolish mistake that you can do. Take care and be aware of what you post.
