Always remember, what you do on the Internet stays on the Internet. Also, we may think we are safe and secure in our cubicles that we forget the fact that social media is like public domain. Perhaps we are lounging at home on a couch or in our business suit in a corporate setting, it really doesn’t matter. Why? The fact is we’re not actually safe in our private place, because with social media, we are actually in a very crowded room surrounded by thousands of people on all sides, who may or may not be listening in on our conversations.
Your Security Is Always at Risk
The virtual world of social media is not secure; it’s no safer than walking down a street in the middle of the day in a metropolis. Imagine that you are routinely filmed unknowingly by CCTV, phone cams, digital cameras and even a TV camera from time to time. The Internet is the same, the only difference is that, your every keystroke is recorded and every uploaded pic is archived.
Did you know that you cannot actually delete a photo from Facebook? It may appear that you’ve removed it from your profile and the button is labeled “delete,” but Facebook always keeps a file. This is actually in your Facebook end-user agreement. I doubt you’ve even bothered to read it. Nor have you read any of the end-user agreements on your other social media apps. First thing to remember is that you always should.
Social Media in the Work Place
Like most people involved in the field of IT, such as creative solutions services, I assume that you have several machines at your disposal – some at work and a machine or two at home where you can do things such as banking and social media interactions. Doing these personal stuff only adds a whole new level of required monitoring because some of these online activities may pose a threat to the entire workplace.
All businesses monitor their networks. Always remember that your work email accounts as well as the office computers are not yours; they belong to the company, including all info contained on those computers and in those accounts. Your bosses may always seize it or review it at any moment without giving word to you first. In fact, you may not even be aware that you are being watched.
I hate to break this to you, but social Networking does not belong in the office. And always remember these:
- Never post anything on social media that you don’t want to be shared over and over again, especially things you would not do in public.
- Whatever you do on the Internet stays on the Internet forever.
- Be safe. Do not give out your actual location and arrange to meet strangers in a public and populated location.
- Don’t do your social networking from your office desktop. Refrain from personal computing using your workplace computer. That computer isn’t yours and is always monitored by your bosses.
Social Media was not intended to harm us. However, like anything that came before it, social media can be misused by the bad guys.
So remember, always be careful.
