Five social media tips to stay safe during ‘All Souls’ holiday

Photo: Reuters
Photo: Reuters

Tomorrow is officially the start of another two-day holiday here in the Philippines.

Many who live and work in cities like Metro Manila, Cebu and Davao will probably head out this weekend to hang out at the beach or spend time paying respects to our departed loved ones on All Saints Day.

Being a country whose population spends the most time on social media, a lot of us are probably going to be posting photos of our whereabouts this weekend.

Posting too much on social media, however, can compromise our personal safety while we’re out and leave our homes vulnerable to tech-savvy career burglars.

To help you avoid that, here are our tips to keep yourselves safe this holiday:

Don’t post pictures showing tickets and passport barcodes


One popular Instagram post for air travelers is posting the boarding pass sticking out of the passport to show followers where they are going, but security experts say this isn’t such a good idea.

According to an article in The Independent, by taking a screenshot of a boarding pass, someone would be able to decode the data and get information about that trip.

The information that someone can get from the barcode included the passenger’s name, frequent flyer number, and other “personally identifiable information.”

Don’t live post everything

Photo by AFP

IBM’s Security Intelligence firm says it’s fine to post photos from your vacation, but it might be a good idea to do it once you’re already back home.

Posting photos with your location publicly, or accepting follow/friend requests from people you don’t know very well, might be the perfect invitation for thieves to visit your home while you’re away.

Tip: Instagram stories don’t have to be posted live. Just record the video or take a photo and swipe up when you’re on the “stories” feature screen to post.

Remove geotags from photos, Facebook posts

selfie

Photo by Pixabay

Whenever you post photos online, there is data embedded within the picture that has information like the location, date, and time the picture was taken. If you do post, it would be a good idea to remove the geotags to not give too much away about your travel and leisure habits.

iPhone users can follow this guide on removing geotags here.

Also, double check your Facebook posts, which sometimes automatically tag your location when you post a status update. Double check your status box and make sure it’s not giving away your location when you post.

Be careful posting pictures with children

While we don’t want to scare you out of taking your vacation, we do have to mention that the threat of kidnapping is very real in the Philippines, and even some popular tourist spots fall under areas where travel warnings are issued.

On top of that, terrorists are known to be active on social media. It would be a good idea to not give them a heads up that you may be traveling in the countryside with a child. If you insist on posting pictures of your children, it would be best to do so when you’re already home.

Don’t leave comments giving away location or plans

Coron, Palawan. PHOTO: Wikimedia Commons

If you see a friend post “What are you guys up to?” It would be best to reply with a private message or a text, in case you accidentally end up discussing where exactly you’ll be that night — especially if you plan on getting intoxicated.

Avoid using the check-in feature everywhere you go, as well as posting too many Instagram stories as they happen, lest you want to get stalked.

While we don’t want to stop you from dancing and drinking the night away, we want you to have fun as safely as possible.


Avoid using public WiFi


This advice is hard to follow sometimes, especially if you travel abroad: Avoid connecting to public WiFi hotspots as much as possible.

Data like credit card numbers, passwords to emails, and social media accounts can be hacked through public hot spots. If you can, get a sim card with data instead.

In general, it’s good to avoid posting photos while you’re out, but if you must share your #blessed photos right away, these are our suggestions so you can do so safely.

Do you have any other safety tips? Let us know in the comments section, or tweet us at @coconutsmanila



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