Ways to keep your user data safe on social media

Here at Winzum there is absolutely no spam on the menu when it come to how we run our online competition service, and we’re also dedicated to making sure your personal data is never passed on to anyone else either. In other words, you’re not for sale!

There’s even proof of that here [how we are committed to data security at winzum]. It’s just how we roll, but unfortunately there are plenty of nasty opportunists out there who are the complete opposite…

Personal user data is big business these days, especially on social media platforms where it tends to be the easiest to access. As a result it’s vital that we all understand how to keep your personal user data safe on social media. Failing to do so could open you up to cold-callers, email spam and in the worst cases financial fraud!

Make sure you have a strong password

We’re sure you’ve probably heard it many times before, but making sure you have a strong and secure password has got to be the most important thing when it comes to protecting your personal data on social media. If not anybody could guess it fairly easily, which leaves you open to potential account hacking.

It is always recommend for passwords to have a mix of different characters, numbers and upper/lower case letters, whilst we would also recommend keeping different passwords for each account. You can read more password top tips here [top tips for passwords].

Don’t enter fake Facebook competitions

Unfortunately not everybody is as passionate about offering legitimate and exciting online competitions as us here at Winzum. In fact, there are countless examples of fake Facebook competitions that have the sole intention of cheating you out of your personal data.

This is a crucial thing to be aware of when it comes to keeping your user data safe on social media, as entering a fake Facebook competition will immediately leave you vulnerable. So, check whether the prize really seems realistic, and whether or not the Facebook page in question is legitimate. Here are some more Winzum tips on how to spot a genuinely legitimate Facebook competition [how to spot a legitimate facebook competition].

Beware of certain types of Facebook events

Just like with fake Facebook competitions, over the last few years there has been a massive increase in fake viral Facebook events, designed purely with the intention of using people’s personal data for advertising purposes. These so-called “data farms” usually take the form of a joke or meme, but can also be stylised as something like “London – Secret Warehouse Rave”.

It is difficult to tell whether or not an event has been set up as a genuine joke, or by an organisation with slightly more mischievous intentions. In the case of events that use several different cities followed by “Secret Warehouse Rave” or “Secret Forest Party”, however, you can be pretty sure that these are fake Facebook events designed to obtain user details.

Don’t explicitly write your email or any other personal data as a comment

It can be so easy to forget that everything you write publicly on platforms such as Facebook and Twitter may be seen by pretty much anyone, and this is why you should always stay away from explicitly writing your email, phone number, or any other personal data as a comment, tweet or status.

People often wonder where all these email spam senders get their addresses from… Well, this is a prime reason how!