How to protect your digital identity on social networks

Andrea Catán
tracción.digital
Published in
4 min readJun 15, 2020

There are many people in Mexico who are not yet affected by what is done online leaves a digital footprint, especially on the networks. This ignorance has caused many users to neglect their data on social networks. Therefore, today we will explore some tips to protect our identity when using this type of web page.

¿Qué es la identidad digital en las redes sociales?

Read more: Who are we on the Internet? Differences between digital identity, identification and ID

All the activity you do on social networks, whether it is a publication, a comment or a like, defines you in one way or another. Hence the relevance of what, when and how you carry out each action.

The digital identity collects a set of information that is relative to the image that each user projects. In addition, it includes not only data pertaining to the digital world, as it also reflects daily activities, likes and interests, who are your loved ones, labor, political, religious information, etc. All this data is stored in the social networks in which you interact, be it Facebook, WhatsApp, YouTube, LinkedIn, Twitter, Waze, Pinterest, Snapchat and TikTok, among others.

What are the social networks that Mexicans use the most?

According to a survey carried out by Statista at the end of last year, in Mexico, the social network with the largest number of users is Facebook, where 99% of those surveyed claimed to have at least one profile on it. Additionally, of the 1,948 social network users in Mexico who participated in this study, it was found that 93% used WhatsApp and 82% said that they usually watched videos on YouTube. Other platforms with fewer users were Instagram, with 63%, Twitter with 39%, and LinkedIn, Waze and Pinterest with less than 30%.

Is the digital identity of Mexicans at risk?

In 2019, the Ministry of Communications and Transportation (SCT), in collaboration with the Organization of American States (OAS), published a study that analyzed, among other things, the behavior of Mexicans on social networks.

The results of the survey showed that for 76% of the more than 5,000 Mexicans surveyed, social networks are their main online activity. However, most do not have good practices to protect their digital identity, since more than 40% mentioned that they install the applications on their smartphones without reviewing the permissions they require or the terms and conditions that apply.

However, if users do not review the information they entrust to the applications, they risk providing data such as their location, contacts, photos, videos or daily habits. These data can be sold to companies or even governments, to be added to databases, facial recognition systems or to prepare electoral campaigns. An example is the scandal carried out by Facebook in 2018, when it was discovered that the data of 50 million users was used in the Donald Trump presidential campaign in 2016.

Similarly, being careless on social media can expose users to the actions of cybercriminals. In fact, 27% of participants in the SCT study reported that they have been the victim of identity theft.

How to protect digital identity on social networks?

Deny permissions: As we have seen, reviewing the terms and conditions of applications before installing them on devices is the most important aspect to protect our digital identity. If possible, access to photos, camera, location and other sensitive data should be limited. It is important to remember that denying access to sensitive information that can be obtained from our profile can protect us from identity theft or misuse of data.

Be aware of what is shared: It is necessary to take into account that photos can reveal a lot of personal information, so it is recommended to avoid sharing images that may yield data on our place of residence, certificates and diplomas that educational institutions reveal to that the children attend or that contain some type of labor information, personal identifications or other important data.

Encourage good habits in children: It is important to educate children about what they can and cannot share on social networks. It is also recommended to monitor their activities on the web, as well as periodically review their conversations to know who they are communicating with and what type of information they have disclosed.

Establish strong passwords: Regardless of the age of the user, strong passwords will be the key to keeping our digital identity safe from cybercriminals. It is also recommended that you avoid creating passwords that are based on important dates or the names of loved ones.

Connect to reliable WiFi networks: Open WiFi networks can not only intercept bank data, they can also infect computers with malware that subsequently access all kinds of data that make up the user’s digital identity.

Keeping the software up-to-date: Having the latest versions of social networking applications on personal computers and devices, as well as antivirus with updated virus databases is also key in the fight against digital identity theft.

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