If you'll be filling your Facebook status with festive posts this Christmas beware.
Posting pictures and messages about what you're up to over the holidays could leave you and your family vulnerable to theft and fraud.
Many of us post lots of intimate details about our lives that we normally wouldn't dare to share with anyone.
Social media is an incredibly useful tool for keeping in touch, but before you post your next message read our top tips for keeping safe.
If you're packing your bags and hitting the road over the Christmas period keep it to yourself.
Posting messages telling the world you're heading away could leave your home at serious risk.
"Social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter can be a risk if people know you are away and your home is empty," police officers have warned.
"Just because you are on holiday, does not mean burglars are taking time off too, and if you looks like you are away, then your home could become a target."
Although most Facebook accounts are private it's still possible for this data to get into the wrong hands, so keep quiet.
After opening your presents on Christmas morning it's probably best not to brag about what you got.
Revealing that you've just opened a fancy new 4K TV could give crooks the perfect reason to break into your house.
It's worth checking your Facebook privacy tools, too.
The US social network firm recently announced it had indexed some two trillion posts.
Searching through the slew of text or photo updates, video posts, shared articles and comments shared on Facebook each and every day is now an easy task.
And any public post or update you published in the past is now eligible for public search, similar to social network rival Twitter.
All modern smartphones now tarck your location.
This data can be incredibly useful but it does come with its dangers.
Popular social networks like Facebook, Instagram and Twitter allow users link their photographs, statuses and posts to a specific location.
Again, if you are share an update or photo revealing your location is not your home address you could be asking for trouble.
There have been a number of cases in which criminals have been able to determine where victims lived based on where they geotagged the majority of their photos.
And remember – Twitter is a public social network.
Unlike Facebook, the default settings ensure your profile, tweets and images are public and searchable by anyone – even those who do not have an account with the network.
Before you hit the blue post button it's worth taking time to check what you're revealing to the world.
It's easy to fall into the habit of sharing your every thought on social media.
But a simple status about spending the evening home alone again, or a quick-fire tweet about a broken lock on your bedroom windows – could quickly land you in hot water.
If this information is online it suddenly becomes dangerously easy to copy or share around.
WeKnowWhatYoureDoing.com, which has since been shutdown, was a website that scraped public Facebook updates, formatted and presented the data for easy consumption.
Each of these posts was linked back to the person's Facebook account, which contains personal information including your home address, contact information, date and place of birth, linked family members and job title.
WeKnowWhatYoureDoing.com creator Callum Haywood published the website to raise awareness saying "These people probably wouldn't want this info publishing, would they?
"Probably not – but it was their choice, or lack of, with regards to their account privacy settings."
If you take lots of the snaps of the family over Christmas, it's best not to reveal their names on social media
Children are particularly vulnerable – so avoid tagging them or sharing images with location data or other identifying features, such as a school uniform with the logo or name emblazoned on the chest.
And consider others when you choose the privacy settings for a particular post.
If your family members are more sensitive to sharing details of their activities across social media, then avoid tweeting or publishing a publicly available Instagram image.
(dailystar.co.uk)
www.ann.az
Follow us !
