Security tips for personal social media account use
August 14, 2023 – Defence Stories
The Government of Canada (GC) places a high priority on educating people about adopting safety measures before publishing on social media. The infographic below provides suggestions for determining if it is suitable or safe to post something online in addition to providing general recommendations for use. Strengthening security measures encourages restricted access to your personal information as well as others.
Infographic - Text version
Security tips for personal social media account use
Social media accounts allow people to connect and interact with one another. But without adequate safety measures, the risk of hackers accessing personal and confidential information arises. By educating individuals on suspicious behaviour signs, what information to avoid sharing, and prevention methods, social media security helps protect both users and their data.
Secure the data on your mobile devices
- Log out from all social network apps when not in use.
- Keep your phone and tablet operating systems up to date.
- Disable Bluetooth when not needed.
- Only use trusted public Wi-Fi networks, avoiding any sensitive tasks like banking.
Beware of fake profiles
The number of fake profiles, often mimicking accounts of DND and CAF senior leaders, has increased. These accounts use similar images, updates, and account names to gain credibility, personal information, or disseminate misinformation. Before interacting online, verify accounts, closely inspect social media handles (avoid those with extra characters or slight spelling changes).
Privacy settings on social media networks.
- Get to know the privacy settings for each of your social media accounts.
- Check to see who can see your posts.
- Keep your main profile page free of personal information.
- Be mindful that photos depicting your trips and locations can reveal your whereabouts.
- Restrict third-party app access.
To further guard against suspicious behaviour, only accept friend requests from known individuals.
TikTok
Due to significant privacy and security risks, TikTok is blocked and cannot be downloaded on government-issued mobile devices.
For more information:
Official Government of Canada social media accounts can be found in the Canada.ca gallery: Social media - Canada.ca
For other similar content, please visit the Security Awareness toolkit page: Security Awareness Toolkit (mil.ca) This link is accessible only on the National Defence network.
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