How Safe Is It To Share Information On Social Media?

Chances are, you’re among the 67% of Canadians who actively use social media. Whether you prefer the quick updates of Twitter and Snapchat, or the community feel of Facebook for connecting with friends and family, your choice of platform matters less than how you use it and what you share — or perhaps, overshare.

The issue with social media privacy is that many of us, often without realizing it, disclose too much personal information online. About half of all Facebook users in Canada set their profiles to “private,” creating a false sense of security to share freely. However, even the most stringent privacy settings don't guarantee safety. Before you post, consider this: “Could this information help a thief steal my identity?”

Identity thieves are skilled at circumventing social media privacy settings and can harvest information to facilitate identity theft. Regular internet users in Canada are already 30% more likely to fall victim to fraud than less frequent users. This risk jumps to 46% for regular social media users.

Be aware of certain actions that might inadvertently aid identity thieves:

• Vacation Posts: Wait until you're back home to share your travel stories. Posting in real-time about your vacation signals to thieves that your house is unattended.
• Geolocation Tags: Many social media apps share your location with each post. This can inadvertently reveal your home address, a key piece of information for identity theft.
• Over-Sharing About Children: Sharing your child’s milestones, complete with names, grades, and school details, risks their identity too. In 2020, over 1 million children in Canada were victims of identity theft.
• Tagging Family Members: Tagging family members helps thieves piece together your family tree, potentially aiding them in cracking security questions or passwords.
• Sensitive Information in Photos: Sharing documents like your renewed driver’s license with all its details can be a goldmine for identity thieves.