“We are being watched online...”

In today’s society, social media sites have proven to be a method of mass communication and have been absorbed into our lives. It is a way of communicating with our loved ones, whether they are far away or near. However, not many of us realise the actual danger that lurks within the same networking sites.

Most of us are unaware that some of us are ‘being watched’ in the sense that our profiles are being looked at by people we have never even met before or even by hackers. There are many people who try to take advantage of the information that people provide on these social networking sites, and so they try to exploit them.

The feature of geotagging is also a major problem as it gives away information about our whereabouts to others without our knowledge, and as a result, a person could be followed or has their home looted when the person is not at home. In other words, social networking sites prove to be a tool that can be used to blackmail or impersonate a person.

With that in mind, users should be more vigilant online and should set restrictions on what they post. Moreover, whatever we post on the internet is always permanent, and therefore, we must think twice before posting any information. Users should also ensure that they are using devices in which their information will be safe. Another way to ensure safety is to set difficult passwords and constantly change their passwords every couple of months.

- The reader is an Indian pupil based in Dubai.