Social Media Privacy: Concerns and Solutions Unveiled continues to be a hot and relevant topic in this digital age. As social media platforms continue to grow and offer new ways of connecting with others, concerns about privacy are at an all-time high. Scandalous news about platforms leaking or selling users’ personal data have fueled this legitimate apprehension portrayed globally. This post will delve into the robust nature of privacy concerns in social media, along with solutions to address them convincingly.The primary focus remains the growing unease about the security and confidentiality of personal data shared on online platforms. Social media giants such as Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, and LinkedIn accumulate vast amounts of information about their users daily. Moreover, the ubiquitous use of these platforms amplifies the risks involved, making users’ data more susceptible to potential exploitation. This article will present an in-depth analysis of these vulnerabilities that have befallen unsuspecting netizens and discuss digital measures to reinforce the security perimeter, ensuring privacy protection.A recent Pew Research Center survey found that 81% of social media users are concerned about the privacy of their personal data on these platforms. [source: https://www.pewresearch.org/internet/2019/04/10/social-media-use-in-2018/]”Privacy settings that are supposed to keep our communications confidential are the ones that keep changing frequently. While we may say that this is for our own good as service providers keep updating security settings as per the evolving hacking strategies, we can’t ignore the fact that this is also confusing most of the users” (Cicero, Stacy. “Our Social Media Accounts: Privacy Concerns on the Internet.” Intralinks, 5 June 2018, www.intralinks.com/blog/2018/06/our-social-media-accounts-privacy-concerns-internet).
“The best defense against social media privacy issues is awareness. Companies can take steps to alert users about potential privacy breaches before they happen. Companies could do this by advising their users to change passwords regularly, educating them on phishing emails, encouraging two-factor authentication, posting warnings about new scams, and guiding them through privacy settings” (North, Anna. “Social Media Privacy: A Contradiction in Terms?”. Forbes, 11 August 2020, www.forbes.com/sites/annanorth/2020/08/11/social-media-privacy-a-contradiction-in-terms).
“Using encryption while using social media is another good practice as it will convert all your data into codes and only those who have the key i.e., the person you have sent the message can decode it back and read the information… Remember, encryption could be your best shield against all privacy concerns” (Mandal, Ananya. “Social Media Privacy: How to be safe on Social Media.” News Medical Life Sciences, 6 June 2019, www.news-medical.net/health/Social-Media-Privacy-How-to-be-safe-on-Social-Media).
