Social media helps us connect with loved ones, entertain, market businesses, and sell products. Despite the many benefits, there has also been a growing concern over data privacy and surveillance on social media. Most social media platforms require users to provide their data, raising concerns about how they use it.

The concerns over data privacy and surveillance have seen the U.S. government threatening to ban TikTok. Similarly, Facebook has also been accused of sharing user data. While governments are taking the necessary steps to protect users, these steps may not be enough to secure your data. In this article, we will look at whether these concerns are valid and give tips on what you can do to protect yourself.

The Risk of Sharing Personal Information on Social Media

Whenever you open a social media account, you must provide your name, date of birth, phone number, etc. While providing this data may seem like a simple step, it also comes with various risks, such as:

• Increasing susceptibility to hacking. A common social media challenge is that cyber criminals and scammers can mine your data from your profile. This information can then be used in social engineering techniques to perform roles such as guessing login credentials or cyber-attacks.
• Risk of phishing. Social media often encourages strangers to interact with one another, which hackers usually exploit to make phishing attempts. For instance, hackers can send unsolicited messages on social media requiring the user to send their details for a chance to win a prize.
• Real-time location tracking. Social media users often pin their location when posting content on social media. When this is done in real-time, it can be particularly dangerous as it can be used to track the real-time location of social media users. For instance, thieves can use the information to figure out when you are in a restaurant and break into your home.
• Data mining risk. One reason there is a lot of concern over social media data privacy is that many platforms use the data for their operations. For instance, they use the data to analyze customer behavior, determine which ads to show them and customize their services to the user's needs. Social media sites can do whatever they want with the collected data, such as email addresses, dates of birth, and more. Sometimes, these platforms have been accused of selling this data to third parties.
• Risk of identity theft. Cybercriminals can harvest information about a person through the data collected on social media networks, raising the risk of identity theft and credit card scams.
• Loss of job opportunities. Nowadays, it's common for potential employers to perform background checks on a candidate on social media before they can hire them. That means social media compromises users' privacy in a way that can impact people's careers.
• Cyberbullying risk. People intending to bully or stalk others can do so on social media. This has resulted in many people suffering from mental health problems, especially teenagers. There is a growing concern about the effect of social media on mental health.
• Doxing risk. We saw earlier that your data can be mined on social media. Malicious people can later release data, such as private videos and pictures, to the public without your consent. This can leave you in an embarrassing situation or even damage your reputation, as the videos can be captioned incorrectly. In recent years, we have seen an increase in cases of cyberbullying on TikTok.
• Data exposure loopholes. No matter how strong your privacy settings are on social media, people can still share the content of your tag. That provides a loophole for your data to get exposed.
• Sharing of data with third parties. Many social media platforms require users to accept that their data will be shared with third parties. This data is then used for things such as targeted advertising. Therefore, social media users should read and understand the terms before registering.
• A permanent digital footprint. An old saying goes that "the internet doesn't forget." Even when you delete your content, such as comments, photos, and links, the platform where it was published retains this data. That's why you need to consider the implications of posting something before doing it.
• Chances of malware attacks. Social media platforms are a good breeding ground for cybercriminal attacks. For instance, hackers often send malware through users' private inboxes. Once they open the message, they become vulnerable to the attackers.
• Addiction risk. Social media platforms try to keep users hooked to their platforms for as long as possible. They use the data to determine the content you will likely keep watching and, therefore, continue to send you more of it. This raises the possibility of addiction.
• Spread of misinformation on social media. Many social media platforms cannot stop the spread of misinformation, making them breeding grounds for propaganda and false information. This has become a common problem, and it is now getting harder to distinguish the facts from the fiction on these platforms.

Risk of Privacy Concerns For Social Media Platforms

On top of users, social media platforms may face the following challenges as a result of not securing their data: These include:

Legal and Compliance Issues

Social media platforms that do not protect user data can face serious legal consequences. They may face substantial legal claims and heavy fines for not safeguarding user data.

Disruptions to Their Operations

A security breach can result in significant downtime for a social media platform. Recovering from the breach, restoring systems, and implementing new security measures can be time-consuming, affecting revenues and productivity.

Lack of Trust

Privacy violations and data breaches on social media can erode user trust, negatively impacting business success. Users may become wary of sharing their information on these platforms.

Common Data Collected By Social Media Platforms

To protect yourself from data privacy issues, you must understand them. You should begin by understanding the kind of data that often raises these concerns. This will enable you to determine the type of information to share and how you use these networks. At times, you don't even need to share this data. The platforms will collect the data whenever you use them. 

For instance, cookies often track users' activity, the sites they visit, the information they share on their profiles, and the products they buy online. Social media platforms often share this data with third parties as it is helpful for advertising. Some of the information that hackers can harvest from social media platforms are:

• Relationship status
• Employment history
• Gender
• Religious affiliation
• Age
• Email address and phone number
• Current location or hometown
• Check-in locations and geotags
• Interests
• Hobbies
• Personal updates, shared photos, and links
• Social media engagements

This data is often used to create a personalized experience for the user. However, it can sometimes fall into the wrong hands of hackers, putting social media users at risk.

Social Media Surveillance Concerns

Many governments worldwide are investing in sophisticated software to survey social media users' activities. This has led to a debate about privacy rights and the balance between people's freedom of expression and public safety. Law enforcement agencies in the U.S. and other countries are now more often turning to social media as a source of valuable information.

The increase in user-generated content on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, and X, has provided law enforcers with real-time data they can use for their investigation, prevention of crime, and public safety. Social media surveillance can consist of various steps, such as:

• Collecting metadata for public posts.
• Monitoring of public posts.
• Use of facial recognition software.
• Undercover social media activities

While these approaches can help law enforcement, they can also affect an individual's privacy rights. Some of the ways government surveillance can affect privacy are:

Mass Data Collection and Surveillance

A significant concern that social media users have is the way surveillance is done on social media. This is often because law enforcement agencies collect a lot of data, even for people not engaging in criminal activity. This is usually seen as the government intruding into people's lives.

Lack of Transparency

Surveillance is usually shrouded in mystery, with most social media users unable to understand how it is done. This often erodes the public's trust in law enforcement agencies. Since the public doesn't understand the extent of their scrutiny, citizens are usually left wondering about the potential scrutiny they are put under.

Possibility of Bias and Inaccuracies

Many social media surveillance tools often use facial recognition technologies, which are known for their potential bias and inaccuracies, especially among minority communities. That means that when law enforcement agencies rely on such tools, it can result in false identifications and wrong convictions for innocent persons.

The Psychological Effects of Surveillance

Surveying social media users also has a psychological effect on them. Some of the  effects of surveillance are:

Stress and Anxiety

When social media users are subjected to surveillance, this may result in anxiety and stress among the users. Once they know that their social media activities are being tracked, they can experience increased stress. They might think of ways to change their online behaviors, reduce social media activity, or even leave it altogether.

Hinder Self-Expression

When social media users feel that their activities are being monitored on social media, they might begin to fear expressing themselves. They can hesitate to share dissenting views and opinions due to the fear of the possible consequences. Such a level of censorship can affect the impact of ideas exchange, a key component in any vibrant democracy.

Impacting Self-Autonomy

Social media users traditionally believe that their accounts are their personal spaces. However, the fact that someone is monitoring their activity negates this belief. It erodes people's faith in expressing themselves without fear of repercussions.

Self-Censorship and Using Pseudo-Accounts

When social media users feel monitored, they often self-censor to avoid scrutiny. They can do that in various ways, such as modifying their online persona or changing their expression to align with what is acceptable in society. When social media users self-censor to avoid social media scrutiny, this can impact their psychological well-being.

How to Keep Your Data Safe on Social Media 

One question social media users have is how to protect their privacy. Here are ways you can use to mitigate these social media privacy concerns:

• Don't share trackable data. If you are in a location, avoid sharing videos or photos showing your daily routines or live location. A good practice is sharing after you have already left the location.
• Don't share sensitive information, such as social security, passport, bank account, and other identification numbers. This can result in financial fraud or identity theft.
• Share only the most critical data. Most social media platforms require you to provide personal details such as your date of birth, school, hometown, interests, etc. Only offer the compulsory information or as little as possible when filling in this data.
• Limit your number of followers. Social media platforms are built to encourage as much interaction as possible. Since every social media user is a potential friend, connecting with cybercriminals may be possible. Therefore, it's a good practice to connect only with people you know in real life. You can also keep your social media account private and join private and niche communities.
• Use a strong password. While social media platforms are responsible for your data privacy, you also have a role in keeping your account secure. One way to do that is by using a robust password, which can prevent hacking incidents. You can use a password manager to create and keep your unique password, which can help you improve the security of your account.
• Use two-factor authentication. Another way of keeping your account secure from hackers is by enabling two-factor authentication. This will provide your social media account with an additional level of security.
• Use automatic logouts. Some social media platforms allow you to set your account to automatically log out when accessed from an unknown location or device. You must ensure that this setting is enabled.
• Enhanced privacy settings. Most social media platforms allow you to change your default privacy settings after creating an account. You must review the different privacy settings options and ensure that you maintain the highest level of security.
• Don't use public Wi-Fi. Although public Wi-Fi can be secure, you should avoid logging into your account using it. Hackers can use this information to steal your login credentials and social media profile. Using a good virtual private network is necessary.
• Keep tabs on any security lapses. When there is a security lapse to your social media account, many social media platforms will often send a security alert. This usually happens when someone tries to log into your account from an unauthorized location or device. Therefore, you need to pay attention to ensure that there aren't any unauthorized logins. Again, you should remember that not all security alert emails are sent from social media platforms. Therefore, avoid clicking on any attachments or links.
• Delete dormant account. Hackers can use dormant accounts, which should, therefore, be deleted.
• Keep all software up to date. All the apps and software you use to log into the social network apps should remain updated. Any security lapses should be patched.
• Read all the platform terms and conditions. Before you sign up on any social media platform, make sure you read their terms and conditions. This will help you understand how much of your data the platform will collect and share with third parties.
• Be vigilant about your social media posts. As noted earlier, the data remains with the platform even when you delete your posts. Additionally, your photos may reveal sensitive details that cybercriminals can use, such as school names, boarding passes, and street signs.
• Turn off geolocations. While most social media platforms don't require geolocation, you should still turn off the geolocations to ensure that you aren't geotagged.
• Talk to your family and friends. Your actions, and those of your close family and friends, will affect your data. For instance, when you go out with a friend, they might post a photo of you and tag you. If they geotag the picture, that will also expose your location. Therefore, you should also clarify your expectations to your friends and family. For instance, you can tell them you don't want them to share images of your children on social media.

Advanced Strategies to Protect Your Social Media Data

If you want to take your data security to the next level, there are several tips you can use. These include:

End-to-end Encryption

End-to-end encryption ensures that only the sender and receiver can read a message. Therefore, to protect your data, you must use it on the platforms where it's available.

Monitor Your Digital Presence Regularly

Ensure you conduct periodic searches of your name, personal information, phone number, email address, and other personal information to see where it's available online. This will help you quickly identify areas where your data is shared without authority and take remedial measures.

Understand the Platform's Specific Features

Every social media platform has security measures to protect users from hackers. However, it can be hard to defend yourself if you aren't aware of these measures. Therefore, ensure you understand the exact security measures put in place by your specific platform. For instance, Facebook and Instagram can encrypt your direct messages.

Understand Various Emerging Threats

Ensure you keep yourself updated on the many emerging cybersecurity threats and trends on social media. This can provide important information such as life jacking, fake accounts, social engineering, and AI-powered techniques. Implementing such techniques can considerably improve social media security and better personal and professional protection.

Examples of Recent Social Media Data Breaches

Even when you take all the above steps to keep your social media account private and secure, hackers may still bet on you and the social media platforms and access your data. We have seen cases recently where popular social media platforms were hacked. Here are examples of data breaches:

• WhatsApp. According to Cybernews, in November 2022, there was a data breach on WhatsApp where over 487 million numbers were available for sale.
• Facebook. In November 2022, Meta was fined $276 million for a data leak in April 2021 that exposed 533 million users.
• Twitter. In July 2022, there were claims of data of 5.4 million Twitter users having been stolen and put for sale on the dark web marketplace.
• Linkedin. In October 2022, over 500 million scraped profiles were made available on the dark web marketplace.
• Twitch. In October 2021, the Twitch source code, including information from over 7 million users, was leaked online.

Final Thoughts

It has never been this important to protect your data online. You can protect yourself from the ever-emerging risk by taking strict privacy settings, reducing oversharing, and using structured cybersecurity tools. When you open a new social media account, read through the privacy policy and understand everything. Only open accounts in platforms where you agree with their handling of your data

If you don't read the terms thoroughly, you might be giving the social media platform permission to sell your data to third-party advertisers. On top of that, read our detailed guide to ensure your data is safe on social media sites.