While social networking has allowed people to connect with
more people than ever before and share their lives effortlessly, this can have
a severe impact on the privacy and safety of individuals. It is important to be
wary about how much and what sort of personal information is being shared, and
to whom.
The default settings on most social networks is to share everything
with everyone, so it is necessary to review privacy settings and be aware of
who is able to see your personal information. Having strangers view your
private photos and posts and seeing your personal information on your profile
may seem undesirable but not dangerous, but even small amount of information
like where you live, places you frequent, and your family members, can be used to
steal your identity, stalk you, or scam you.
As an organisation, it is also important to respect the
privacy of the people who follow your social media accounts and use your
library services. For example, when posting photos of events, posting photos of
people without their consent is a breach of their privacy.
There is a fine line between the spirit of sharing that
social media encourages, and the privacy issues that are inherent of an online
social platform. Limiting the amount of personal information shared on social
media to a bare minimum, and making sure that your account is secure with strong
passwords, are two key steps that can be taken to protecting your and your
customers’ privacy.
Some tips for being more aware of your privacy and cyber
safety:
A good TED talk about “Why privacy matters” by Alessandro
Acquisti
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