Beware of what you share: New research shows that less than half of people in the UK set their social media to private

14 Feb 2019 01:58 PM

According to new research, less than half of people in the UK set their social media to private.

New research, produced by Security Software Company McAfee, shows that 44% of people set their profiles to private. Yet, more than a third (36%) of people reported being concerned that images and information taken from their social media could be used against them.

Chief Scientist and McAfee Fellow, Raj Samani yesterday commented: 

“Every day, people leave streams of information about themselves online without considering the risks of their digital footprint.

“Our research discovered that 60% of people disclose their location in some form when posting online, for example tagging the restaurant they are at on Instagram Stories. Even more concerning is that 15% have posted photos of the front of their house to social media.

“If this information gets into the wrong hands, it can be used to paint a detailed picture of someone and offer direct access into their lives.”

Over-sharing on social networking sites increases the risk of criminals using publically available information to steal your personal details and, in some cases, your identity.

There are a number of steps you can take to protect your information online:

• Review your social media privacy and location settings to ensure that posts you only want your friends or family to see aren’t viewable publicly.
• Be mindful of sharing personal information on your public profiles. For example, revealing your full name, date of birth, or other personal information, could leave you vulnerable to identity theft and fraud.