Oversharing, in any form, can compromise your personal and home security, especially if it has to do with your location.
According to Charnel Hattingh, National Marketing, and Communications Manager of Fidelity ADT, the fact that criminals use social media to track people’s locations and find the information they can use to their advantage is nothing new.
“The internet and social media is a favoured playground of criminals and to believe otherwise is naïve. This is why it is so important for users to keep their personal routines and plans private. The right type of information landing in the wrong hands can have dire consequences,” she says.
One of the most dangerous features on social media is location-based services, and many people do not realise why.
“By using location-based services on your social media platforms, you are fully exposing your whereabouts, with accuracy. Posts are usually in real-time too, which means if you are posting a location three to four times a day, someone could be tracking this and determining your regular routines,” adds Hattingh
The golden rule for using social media, she encourages, is to only interact with people you know, but even then the only people who should know about your holiday plans and locations are:
- Your immediate family.
- Your neighbour (if you have a good relationship).
- Your neighbourhood watch.
- Your security company.
“Avoid location-based services. Your social life will not fall apart if you do, and you will actually have more peace of mind knowing your whereabouts are not out there for anyone to use and abuse,” Hattingh concludes.
