With half a billion people using Facebook, it almost seems like a crime not to join the social networking site. But in fact, that might be the best way to avoid crime.
Most of us don't think twice about posting our names, photos, birthdays - even the week we're going to be gone on vacation - to our Facebook page. After all, what's a little sharing between friends, right? But we forget that millions of other people can see that info, too, say Atlanta bankruptcy attorneys. And with looser privacy settings, more folks than ever can access our personal information - putting our finances at risk.
Recently, Facebook announced that a glitch was letting people view the names and photos of random account holders - potentially letting scammers harvest personal data. And earlier this year, the social networking site made it easier for third-party Web sites to browse our account information. The reality is that Facebook is providing a service - and that service is not to protect your personal information. If you want to keep using social networking without incident, it's up to you to keep an eye out for security.
If you want to stop a criminal, you need to think like a criminal. Look over your account and ask, if I really wanted to wreak havoc on myself, what would I do? For instance, names, birthdates and phone numbers can be recorded and traced to bank accounts. Did you mention you're looking forward to a vacation this month? You're not only entrusting your friends with the knowledge that your house will soon be empty, but also your friends' friends - people you've never met and shouldn't necessarily trust. Ultimately, if someone can use the information to do damage to your well-being, remove it - or make sure that only a select few can view it.
The conveniences of the Internet age come at a cost. Fortunately, we can reduce that cost by keeping close tabs on our personal information. Preventing identity theft is one way to protect our finances; another is to manage debt so it doesn't get out of control. If your debts are so big they're interfering with your life, bankruptcy can help you get a fresh start. Find out more when you try a free personal debt analysis with an Atlanta bankruptcy attorney.
