Knowledge is good when shared!

It is worth following a few rules when sharing pictures or other information on social media, because if you are not careful enough, it can have serious consequences. And of course, these rules are strongly recommended not only in summer but also at other times of the year.

Encryption has grown into a separate field of science, which is not surprising considering that in the digital world, all information needs to be protected if we do not want it to fall into the wrong hands. Today, there are extremely effective methods that protect our data and devices at every turn – internet traffic, emails, information stored in the cloud, chat program messages, SIM card usage, bank card payments, online shopping, and the list goes on. However, all technology is in vain if basic human attention and caution are lacking, as this can cause similar – or in some cases even worse – problems than writing down your PIN code on a piece of paper and putting it next to your bank card. Below, we have compiled the most common mistakes and oversights related to data protection and personal information.

1. Where Am I?

Every day, 350 million photos are uploaded to Facebook, with travel-type photos and posts ranking high among them. Of course, it is understandable if you are proud of climbing Mount Fuji or walking on the Brooklyn Bridge, but it may not be a good idea to broadcast it to the world. Especially not immediately. An average user has around 200 friends (the average is 338, but the median is 200, meaning as many people have 200 or fewer friends as those who have 200 or more), many of whom are only acquaintances or not “real” friends but just work contacts. What is even worse is that each friend also has another 200 friends, meaning – depending on the settings – a post can reach thousands of people. If you post a vacation photo on any social media platform, you are not only saying that you are having a great time but also that “hello, the house is empty.” If you definitely want to share where you are, we recommend the following:

As a rule of thumb, share only information with friends (and publicly) that you would tell a stranger on the street. If you want to post a more detailed report, create a small group for friends who are really close to you.
Never post your itinerary; do not share in advance or in real-time when you are going on vacation.
It is worth waiting to share photos until you get home – if the house is empty, do not post a picture from the other side of the world with a caption like “this is what I see now” or something similar.
If you are traveling with others, ask them not to tag you in their Facebook posts and not to mention you.

2. Photos of Children? We Say: FORBIDDEN!

Unsurprisingly, in addition to travel photos, there are also a lot of photos of children – according to a relatively recent study, by the time a child reaches the age of five, the number of photos of them on the internet can be several hundred or even around a thousand. Of course, it is understandable if, as a parent, you are proud of your child, but it must be taken into account that a photo of a child is considered personal data, and thus the child has the right to control it, not the parent (the child is not a like-magnet!). The issue becomes really complex here, as infants obviously cannot give consent, and children under 10-12 years old will not understand what this is all about, even if the parent can explain it correctly. If you share child-related content on social media and only ask the child for their opinion at the age of 10-12, it is already too late. Once something is uploaded to the internet, no one can take it down.

As a parent, you must respect the child’s rights and interests from the beginning, and later accept their opinion even if it does not match yours. If the child knows what they are agreeing to, there is no problem with posting about them, but it is also completely normal if the child says that not only can you not post pictures of them on social media, but they do not want you to take photos of them at all. In the latter case, it is worth making a compromise, as it is not a bad idea for the child to have photos of themselves later. In such cases, it can work if the parent promises and keeps the promise that the photos taken of the child are for the child and possibly for themselves, and they do not show them to anyone, even in a close family circle.

The biggest problem with photos uploaded to the internet is that we no longer have control over them. Although the photos legally belong to you, you have no influence over what happens to them: anyone who can see them can download them, and artificial intelligence can analyze the photos. You do not have to think of the worst immediately, but unfortunately, it is possible that an otherwise completely innocent beach photo of the child ends up on a pedophile network, thanks to artificial intelligence, with very drastic changes or in video form. In a “milder” case, classmates may find the photos a few years later, which can lead to teasing or bullying. Consider that, in general, without external influences and feedback, it can negatively affect a teenager’s mental state if photos they do not like are posted on the parent’s Facebook page. Teenagers already have enough other problems, and they do not need a poorly taken photo to further damage their self-confidence! And this is no joke; it can cause traumas that affect adulthood, the child’s future relationships, and overall quality of life!

We should also note that it is worth being careful with all information shared about the child, not just photos. It is not recommended to share things related to parenting principles or specific incidents.

It is also worth clarifying the rules for sharing photos of the child with the extended family and insisting on their adherence. Fortunately, it rarely escalates to this point, but there have been cases where a parent sued their mother for sharing photos of the grandchild without permission and not removing them despite repeated requests – and even continuing to post photos.

As a rule of thumb, do not post any photos or information about the child on social media until they understand exactly what it is about, what the consequences might be, and can make a responsible decision. When this time comes varies from child to child, but as a guideline, consider the 13-year registration age limit for social media. If you want to show your child’s photos to grandparents or friends, there are much better platforms than social media, such as Google Photos or OneDrive, which allow photo sharing via private URLs. Use these instead!

3. Photos of Your House, Car, etc.

If you move into a new apartment or house or buy a new car, it is understandable that you want to show it to your friends – but in this case, too, we can only say to do it cautiously! If you share photos of your home not only with friends but also with acquaintances, you are giving a complete map that not only shows the layout of the house perfectly to a criminal but also what valuables are in plain sight. Be careful with car photos as well, as thieves are particularly fond of new cars; for example, because there is a high chance that there has not been time to install a special anti-theft device.

If you definitely want to share the photos, pay attention to sharing them only with close friends – but it is even better if the photos do not go on social media at all, and you show these things to everyone in person.

4. Personal Data Has No Place on the Internet

Facebook (we use Facebook as an example throughout the article, but any other social media platform can be substituted here) handles a lot of personal data, most of which is not mandatory to provide. Yet many people post their birth date, where they live, their phone number or email address, who they are in a relationship with, and so on. If we add that countless other personal data can be found in posts, everything is in place for a scammer to find all the information needed to steal our identity in no time. Birthplace and date, family members’ birth dates, and even the dog’s name are particularly sensitive data because many people use this information or some combination of it as a bank card PIN, alarm code, or even a login password. The abundance of publicly available personal data is dangerous because it is typically searchable information.

Do not provide any data on Facebook or other social media platforms that is not mandatory. Typically, a username, email address, and possibly a birth date are required to use a service; everything else is extra – and if you use two-step verification, the phone number may also be mandatory, as the secondary code can be sent to the mobile via SMS. However, instead of the actual birth date, you can set the first day of the given year; no one checks it anyway. Always check what data others can see about you – and if possible, set Facebook or any other service so that only you (or possibly your friends) can see personal data. Sharing passwords, login information, financial information, etc., is strictly prohibited.

5. Be Careful About What You Share About Others

You cannot share photos and information about other family members, friends, and strangers without their permission – follow this rule and demand that it works both ways. That is, your child, family members, and friends should not share anything about you without your permission. There are several dangers in posting that the grandparents are finally staying with you for a week. This reveals that their house is empty. Do not share a funny weekend party photo of friends, especially not with tags, as the photo can easily be seen by friends’ parents or even their employer. Think about whether you would like to be in a similar situation. Of course, this does not only apply to photos but also to transcripts of private conversations, screenshots,