10 Tips to Tweet Safely

As twitter gains so much popularity, it makes twitter an easy target for cyber crimes. Not to mention the system that supports twitter is just a simple system; it’s very easy for the hackers to break into.

Here are 10 tips to tweet safely (by Ema Linaker, AVG Global Head of Online Engagement):

1. Limit your tweet
To tweet is extremely easy and this makes users frequently tweet about almost everything that’s including their location and activities. However, users often do not realize that their account is a public account (not protected or limited), and everyone can see their tweet.

Minor comments given in response could eventually be used to determine the schedule and daily activities of the twitter users. The criminals can use all information they found in your twitter to make the user their next victim.

2. Be careful when you open a Link
Be careful opening the link or links you get. Many people use a shortening URL service on Twitter, so it is often difficult to really know the original site.

Web security products can indeed be used to check these links. But the most important thing is to keep in mind that if there is doubt about the links you get, you should not open the link or links!

3. Beware!
Beware if you start receiving suspicious activities in the timeline or your inbox. When you start getting suspicious messages or your friends start to tweet or send spam messages, you should first make sure whether your partner account has been the target of hackers.

4. Think Before Posting
Your Tweet can read by all people around the world. Even when removed, your tweet still can be seen by using search engines. Think carefully what you want to write, because the consequences of your writing will probably further than you thought. Using hashtag will also facilitate the search for your tweet.

5. Do not Trust Your Follower Instantly
You never really know your whole twitter follower. So do not instantly believe and make friends, who know they are people who may have bad intentions.

6. Check carefully Third Party Applications
There are hundreds of applications that you can use in Twitter. Before you use these applications, make sure that they are secure. Select only applications that widely use. Remember that these applications often require a password and your username.

7. Password Information
Use a different password for each account on your social network. If you want more secure, create a different e-mail accounts for each of your social network. By applying this, when you close your social networking account, you can easily remove your e-mail.

8. Log in
Check your browser settings. Make sure that your information is not recorded when you use a shared computer.

9. Beware of Phishing Attacks
Beware of attempts to obtain your personal information through a tweet or deceptive Direct Message (DM).

10. When Using Cell Phones to tweet
Be careful with your cell phone and pay close attention on who that use your cell phone. If you have a Twitter application, make sure you always log out after you use it. *Global*