OUR lives are almost completely connected to the online world. If you really think about it, there is not much that isn’t connected in some way to the digital world.
Medical records, licences, banking and photos. Emails, social media.
Our daily lives are made convenient by this connectivity, this ease of data sharing, but at what cost?
Let me ask you a hypothetical question. Do you really know how much you are giving up about yourself and your loved ones in the digital world?
Let’s extend that question a little. Do you share pictures on your social media accounts? Do you have kids and post about when they start school at the start of the term or year? Do you post about your holidays or family events, or even work events? What about a new house or car purchase?
Many of you reading this would likely be saying yes, I do some of that or maybe all of them. If that is you, then can we pause for a moment and think about what you could be giving a malicious actor (hacker) with this information?
Your kids might have a school logo on their shirt or dress, you could have a name, or other people’s kids in the picture. These images could have metadata in the file that tells exactly where it was taken and when.
You gave me your kids’ names, ages approximately, because of the year they are in school. On birthdays, you give me your date of birth or your family member’s DOB. If you post about a holiday, you are telling me you are not home. If you took pictures of your new home in a post, I would be able to tell where your house is, potentially.
On their own, a single post may not be much of an issue, but over time, with little bits of information you share, you can really give away a lot of information.
This information could be used to get access to your online world; it could be used to track and help someone find your children or yourself in the real world (huge concerns from this, which is a whole other topic).
You understand where I am going with this? I am not telling you that you can’t celebrate great moments in the online world, but I want you to pause before you post something.
I want you to look at it from this new lens you can now see the digital world with and go… “can this be used against me or my family?”
If the answer is yes, don’t post it. Change how you say something, use a different picture.
You have options; this is your life and your data. Protect yourself and your family and stay vigilant.
The online world is an amazing and scary place all wrapped into one, but you don’t have to face it alone. Cyber Unicorns is here to help you learn how to be safer. We are here to help you learn how to ride that digital bike.
Online safety is as important a life skill as knowing how to swim or ride that bike, so head over to https://cyberunicorns.com.au and sign up for our education subscriptions, get the mobile app. It’s available for Android or Apple devices on their respective app stores.
Go now and be safe.
