How to protect your identity on social media

Identity is one of the most important things that we take with us when we go online. It's also one of the easiest things for us to take for granted —and for others to steal. The growth of social media in recent years has, for better or worse, blurred the line between our "virtual selves" and our "real selves" to an extent that was unheard-of just a decade ago. As a case in point: gone are the days when people commonly adopted usernames and email addresses like "j0han21" or "roxxorz381@rocketmail.com". Back then, you'd have to be crazy to reveal your actual name online! But collaborations such as Wikis and initiatives such as Facebook's "Real Name policy" have made the online world a more open place to be. Alas, being "open" doesn't always mean being "safe". As people get more accustomed to sharing their personal information "in the cloud", the more tempting it becomes for thieves to try to steal their identities for blackmail or fraud. So how do you protect yourself in an increasingly social cyberspace? Test the water before diving in Before joining any social network, ask around about the reputation of the company behind it. Is it a fresh startup in need of beta testers, or a new offering from a well-established dotcom? It's a prudent rule of thumb —albeit a somewhat gross generalization— that the bigger the company, the more resources it has to protect its users' privacy (but more on this later). Also, take note of the kinds of people and the quality of the discussions going on in the community. Ask yourself if this is really a community that you want to share your thoughts with. If you have friends who are already part of the network, ask them about their own experiences using it. Do they like the community? Do they feel safe using the service? As with any decision, the best choice is an informed choice. Limit your online exposure Even if you do decide to take the plunge, nobody said you have to go off the deep end. One of the best ways to protect your identity is to simply not divulge information unless it's really necessary. Sure, Facebook requires you to give your real name, but you're not required to divulge your exact address and other personal details. Most online services will let you know what information is required of you, either through the fine print in their Terms of Use page or by pop-up warnings during the registration process. By limiting the information you share, you also lessen the risk to yourself should your account fall into the wrong hands for whatever reason: the less a thief knows about you, the less harm they can inflict. And even after the sign-up process, you can limit your online exposure even further by adjusting your account's privacy settings. Just go to your Account Settings and select which pieces of information to keep public and which to keep private. Online as in real life, it always pays to be prudent with what you share. Use a strong, unique password Entering a password clinches the sign-up process for a social network. And, more often than not, your password will be your main line of defense against identity theft —so you better make it count! Make a password that's at least ten characters long and contains a mix of as many keyboard characters as possible. And don't use any of your personal information like your birthday or nickname in making your password. In fact, it's recommended that your password shouldn't contain any recognizable words at all! The secret is to use an easy-to-remember system for making your password such that it's easy for you to remember but impossible for other people to guess. More tips on how to do that here and here. Don't put all your eggs in one basket As mentioned earlier, a reputable company should be able to provide a modicum of protection for your private data. However, it's always a good idea to set up your own defenses should their security be breached for whatever reason. One of the best ways to do this is to use a different password for each of your online accounts. This way, even if one account is compromised, the password can't be used to log into any of your other accounts. Also, if possible, use a different email address for each account. You don't have to set up multiple email accounts for this; it's actually possible to use an "alias" to make what would essentially be a different email address that's still connected to your main email address. Using an email address alias helps manage notifications from your various social media accounts, and will also protect your main account in the event of a breach. Here's more information on setting up an alias on Yahoo and GMail —or you can also try contacting your email provider's customer support line. Think before you click Lastly, even in spite of all the above precautions, thieves will still try to get at your personal information through phishing and other social means. One of the most common —and still highly successful— phishing schemes comes in the form of a fake message purportedly from your email provider or social network, requesting you to provide your username and password lest your service be terminated. Such online scams have become increasingly sophisticated over the years, with thieves continually managing to pass themselves off as legitimate entities in an effort to steal your password and identity outright. But think about it for a moment: Why would the administrators of any social network need your password when they have full access to their own website in the first place? The rule of thumb is to never type your username and password anywhere except into a legitimate login page —and even then, you should check to make sure it's a legitimate site. Don't just dive right in. Think before you click. — GMA News