Home Safety And Social Media

Home Safety And Social Media

I like to think of myself as pretty savvy when it comes to online safety and security, but this post is all about how even the most “wired” people can slip up and expose themselves to the dark side of social media.

When a family member passed away, I used my various social media accounts as an outlet to relieve some of the tension that surrounds an event like this. Facebook, in particular, was a great platform for me to let it all out, and in turn, to hear from friends and family and share stories. I keep my Facebook locked down pretty tight, only letting in actual real-life friends, family members, etc. I’m always checking my privacy settings and tweaking things as necessary, too, so I wasn’t really worried about letting too much information out there since I wouldn’t “Friend” anyone on Facebook if I didn’t know and/or trust them. I do the same thing on my other social media accounts, too, but it’s really only on Facebook where I delve into more personal things with any regularity.

The funny thing about online safety and security, especially regarding social media, is that it’s often the setup of your account that can get you in trouble, not necessarily the details of the message you’re sending out.

On the day of the funeral I posted that I was going, and I even listed what time it was. It seemed pretty innocuous when I posted it, but minutes later a friend messaged me, suggesting that I have someone we trust watch where we live while we’re gone, because there are groups of people who target funeral goers and rob their homes while they’re away for a few hours. She even knows of people who this actually happened to, so her message hits a little closer to home.

That didn’t even occur to me! Here I think I’m Mr. Safety, and someone else points out a security issue to me. In the immortal words of Homer Simpson… D’oh! Granted, I had a lot on my mind, but still… It just helps reinforce that no matter how prepared you are, there’s always a new tip or trick to learn that will help keep things safe and secure, and can come from anywhere and from anyone.

Well I quickly scrambled to find a trusted person to keep an eye on the place, and I’m happy to say that we came back to an unsullied home.

I’ve put together a list of events and activities that could possibly be exploited if you make your plans public. I figured a good bakers dozen would be a fine start, but this is definitely not an exhaustive list.

  • Vacations
  • Weddings
  • Births
  • Funerals
  • Graduations
  • Birthdays
  • Grocery stores
  • Shopping
  • Family visits
  • After-work events
  • Movies
  • Theater performances
  • Concerts

The long and the short of it is that you’d be a lot safer holding off on any pre-event social media messages. Wait until it’s over and then make a post if you want. It’s better to be safe than sorry!

If you have any similar stories, or if you can think of a few events or activities that people might want to watch out for when posting, please let us know in the comments below.

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Tech-Related Resolutions For 2012

Tech-Related Resolutions For 2012

A new year brings new opportunity for us all to change our old habits for new ones. Take me, for example. I’ve set up a few resolutions for myself that include getting healthier, spending more time with my family, and learning a new programming language. Maybe you want to dedicate more time to a hobby, or finish up that project car that’s been sitting in your driveway since 1998. 🙂

New Year resolutions are kind of a laugh to most people, because we all know that as humans, we’re loathe to change on our own. We all get used to doing things a certain way unless life kicks us in the behind to do something about it. But this year, you and I can make a positive change before something bad happens.

I’ve got 3 super simple things you can do to make the technology-related side of your life better. Each of these will either save your life (seriously), save you from embarrassment &/or identity theft, and save you from the wrath of a loved one for losing important files… like wedding photos, etc. Read on:

  1. Resolve to be safe with technology

    Some of you probably laughed when I said a tech-related resolution could save your life, but this really could: Use your tech and gadgets only when appropriate. I’m looking right at you, car texters. But it goes beyond texting while driving. Stop messing with your GPS devices, using your cell phone without a hands-free device, and even fiddling with your stereo settings while driving. A click here or there to change a station or re-route your GPS is one thing, but I’ve seen a lot of people concentrating more on the gadgets than the road. Don’t be the one who becomes a statistic!

  2. Resolve to change your passwords

    This will be, by far, the easiest and best thing your can accomplish in this resolution list. For every service you use, whether a bank, Facebook, or Amazon.com, change the password. You and I both know that it’s been a while. Maybe not for every login you have, but if you’re like most people then many (or even most) of the services you use haven’t seen a password update since you first signed up.

  3. Resolve to back up your important files

    With services like Dropbox, making backups of important files like your digital photos is easier than ever. And if you’re worried about putting sensitive data in the cloud then do what I did: Buy yourself an external USB hard drive and back them up there. Even if all you did was a straight copy and paste from your desktop or laptop to your external drive, you’d have the peace of mind that your files are safe. I have a friend who lost all of his wedding photos because of a hard disk crash, and let’s just say it wasn’t pretty to hear about the wrath of his lovely wife.

I sincerely hope you take those 3 simple changes to heart. You’ll find that they aren’t tough to do, and you’ll be a lot safer in the long run by doing them. Here’s hoping you and your loved ones enjoy a happy, safe, and technology filled 2012!

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Online Safety for Kids

Online Safety for Kids

It’s getting close to the middle of the school year for most kids, and by now they’re probably pretty comfortable with the swing of things. As such, you’re probably finding your kids on the home computer surfing the Internet, “studying” online (haha), and chatting with their friends the web. As a parent and a tech geek, I’m all for kids learning and playing online. But as the school year progresses, most kids become lax in their safety consciousness when online.

It’s always a good idea to remind your kids about the importance of online safety, but here are three things you should make sure to keep on top of all year long:

  • Don’t give out personally identifiable information:

    First names are probably fine, but a last name should always be kept under wraps from anyone your kids interact with online. Other things to keep quite about are the locations of their home and school, frequent hangout spots, and after-school schedules. The last thing you want is some creepy stranger taking a 3 hour drive to visit your kid at little league!

  • Keep kids social networking profiles private:

    Places like Facebook allow kids (and adults) to post anything they want at any time they want, with little to no repercussions. Make sure that your kids don’t accidentally invite a web perv into their online life with an open and public profile.

  • Let an adult know about cyberbullying:

    Cyberbullying is no joke, and it’s happening more and more. Be sure to keep an open and honest dialog with your kids about online harassment, whether it’s about them, their friends, or someone they know at school. No child should have to live in fear or shame because of a cyberbully.

If you keep those three things alive and well during the entire year, your kids will have a much better, and safer, time on the Internet.

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January 28th, 2011 is World Data Privacy Day

January 28th, 2011 is World Data Privacy Day

Friday, January 28th, 2011 is World Data Privacy Day. With a New Year comes a new time to stop and think about how data privacy affects you and your family. Whether you’re accessing information online by a mobile device, social networking sites like Twitter or Facebook, or if you’re using other online services, information you type in, request, or log in with is being captured and acted upon by others.

As a Digital Citizen, it’s up to you to watch the watchers… to ensure that your data is being handled properly by the sites and services you choose to use. As such, you should educate yourself on how sites are tracking your information, storing your data, or processing your logins. If you don’t, who will?

For more information about data privacy, you can visit our blog posts tagged with “Privacy“, or the Washington State Attorney General’s page on Internet safety. Feel free to also check out the StopSign privacy policy for details on how we deal with privacy issues. You can also leave a comment below with any questions if you like.

If you're looking for great anti-virus software that won't break the bank, try StopSign. You don't pay extra for tech support for difficult malware, and our web protection software just works. Download & install StopSign to find out why our members choose us over the other options.

Internet Privacy and Internet Safety Tips for 2011

Internet Privacy and Internet Safety Tips for 2011

A New Year brings in a lot of new things to everyone… New hopes. New dreams. And yes, sometimes it brings in some new bad things, too. Such is life. But while we can’t help make your favorite sports teams win, and we can’t do anything about that crazy co-worker in the cubicle next to you, but we can give you some tips on how to stay safe online in 2011.

You can bet your bottom dollar that Internet privacy concerns, identity theft, malware distribution, cyber attacks, and a host of other technology-related problems are only going to rise and morph over the course of the year. (They always seem to, don’t they?!) Keep yourself, your family, your information, and your money safe by following the tips below:

  • Change your passwords:

    Yep. All of ’em. I know I mentioned it last year, but if you didn’t change your passwords then, you really should change your passwords right now. The safety and security of the information on your PC is literally a password away from being grabbed and abused by unscrupulous characters on the web.

  • Patch it up:

    You’ve got a computer. You’ve got software. And you’ve probably got patches you can apply to them all. Unpatched machines and software leave holes open that hackers can take advantage of, so patch your PC today. Doing so will not only keep your machine secure, it might make a program or two a bit more peppy or give it a few more features.

  • Desocialize your network:

    Look, I love Twitter, Facebook, an LinkedIn just as much as the next guy or gal, but every now an again you should review and do a little housekeeping on your social networking profiles. Think about it: Do you really need Jake, formerly of accounting, on your friend list now that he’s gone and you only added him because he was a co-worker in the first place? I didn’t think so.

  • Geolocation in moderation:

    Our blog post “Stranger Danger: Geolocation Features and Internet Safety” still stands, in my personal opinion, as one of the most important blog articles written in 2010 from both a personal safety and Internet safety standpoint. If you haven’t seen it, please read our article on geolocation safety tips now, especially if you’re using any of the location-aware features of Twitter, Facebook, FourSquare, or any other service or device.

I sincerely hope these tips help you stay protected. Happy New Year, and I hope you have the best of luck with all of your Internet privacy and Internet security concerns in 2011.

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Your Facebook Status Can Come Back to Bite You.

Your Facebook Status Can Come Back to Bite You.

Facebook, Twitter, MySpace, your blog… these and countless other websites and social networking hubs share one thing in common, and that is each one of them lets it’s users write and promote their current status. That status is usually something relatively innocuous: What a person is having for lunch, what they did the night before, or maybe even some LOLcat links.

These kind of status updates aren’t a problem, but as we become more used to posting the details of our daily lives there’s an inherent danger in over-exposing ourselves, our family, or our jobs to the public. From something as simple TMI to talkin’ trash, there are many degrees of “you shouldn’t post that online”. Here are a few standouts:

  • Zip your lip about work.

    Nothing online gets you fired faster or in hot water easier than leaking sensitive company information, trash talkin’ about your boss, or revealing co-worker secrets. Leave work stuff at work, and keep personal stuff personal.

  • Keep kids out of sight!

    Keep any info about your kids as much out of the public view as possible. Don’t use Foursquare from their school (do you really want the mayorship of a school, anyhow?!), don’t use their last names in blog posts, and make sure that pictures of them don’t have identifiable info in the background like street addresses and things of that nature.

  • Travel first, tweet later.

    Going on a vacation? Great! Just be sure to blog, tweet, or leave a comment online about it after the fact. Online criminals are looking for empty houses from the comfort of their homes instead of casing neighborhoods, so don’t blog yourself into an empty house. Do a post-trip post if you must, so that you’re not dangling fresh bait in front of the bad guys.

  • Who’s looking at your stuff?

    You constantly hear about how some online service is having troubles with their privacy settings, or is changing how things work. Make it a point to re-check your viewing permissions and be sure to set them so that only people who you want to see your profile can see you.

Bottom line? Be careful what you post. What your write as your Facebook (Twitter, blog, etc.) status can come back to bite you in a big way.

If you're looking for great anti-virus software that won't break the bank, try StopSign. You don't pay extra for tech support for difficult malware, and our web protection software just works. Download & install StopSign to find out why our members choose us over the other options.