America News Agency

''62.5 Million Social Media Users at Risk''

Social media users who lack sufficient knowledge about the threats in the digital realm or are overly confident can fall victim to identity theft, impersonation, and privacy issues. Alev Akkoyunlu, Operations Director of Laykon Bilişim, the distributor of Bitdefender Antivirus in Turkey, states that 62.5 million social media users are exposed to various dangers in the digital world. She explained, "While social media provides a suitable platform for developing relationships or careers online, privacy issues, cyberattacks, and harassment can make users targets. Therefore, being aware of existing risks protects you and your loved ones from the dangers of the digital world." She shared the six ways for social media users to protect their digital identities as follows:

''Limit your time spent online as much as possible. Spending too much time in the digital world invites computer hacking, social engineering attacks, harassment, or engaging in risky conversations. Considering the frequency of internet usage in Turkey, reducing social media usage helps keep users away from potential threats. Avoid sharing personal information. Unless it's for online shopping, online banking, or registering for specific services, personal information should not be shared and should not be made public. Sharing email addresses, phone numbers, home addresses, and other identifiable personal information makes users targets for cyber attackers. Protect your online accounts with strong passwords. Protecting accounts with strong passwords containing uppercase and lowercase letters and a minimum of 8 characters serves as a deterrent against cyber threats. Accounts should be regularly reviewed and kept up to date with privacy settings and features. Additionally, using 2FA and MFA solutions during login provides an additional security layer against the possibility of password exposure. Never let your guard down. Be cautious of scams and other social engineering schemes spread through social media or other platforms. Disturbing conversations should be carefully examined, suspicious sent links should not be clicked, and promises of money should not be made. Avoid taking risks when sharing content. Sharing videos and photos that could endanger individuals and family members, such as locations or travel plans, invites cybercriminals. Attackers can use this to damage reputation and use sensitive information that could harm the individual in the digital or physical world. Check the privacy settings of your accounts and do not share everything with everyone. Use basic rules of decency and be a responsible user. It should not be forgotten that all rules applied in daily communication also apply in the online world. Avoid spamming, do not share false news or sensitive media content, and avoid behaviors that could harass others."