Pictures of Children
Always, always, always think twice before posting a picture of a child online. For one thing, this child might be too young to consent to their photo publicly being placed on the internet. For another, should that picture fall into a predator’s hand, that child is now at risk. Why not just avoid this by not posting their picture in the first place? (1, 4)
Your Child’s School/Daycare/Etc
This goes along with the previous point. Be cautious about sharing information on where your child will be at any time. Unfortunately, this simple information could easily be used for an unwanted person to gain access to your child. (1, 3)
Questionable Pictures of You
While Facebook used to be a simple place to connect with your friends, it’s now the first place that many potential employers look to determine if you’re a desirable employee. If your feed is filled with drunk photos, parties, or dumb stunts, then that doesn’t add good material to your resume, does it? (1)
“Friends” Who Aren’t Real Friends
Believe it or not, Facebook isn’t a popularity contest. It doesn’t matter how high your friends-list number gets. Accepting random friend requests from strangers could easily be putting you at risk, especially if you’re sharing a lot of personal information about yourself, your life, or your whereabouts. (3)
All Credit/Debit/Bank Information
This one might be a no-brainer, but it’s also easy to forget. If you’ve purchased something through Facebook, always delete your card information, otherwise, it could be stored online and stolen from hackers! (1)
Your Phone Number
You wouldn’t go handing out your phone number to everyone you meet (or even to everyone you know), so why would you paste it on your Facebook for anyone to see?
Posts You’re Tagged In
Not all of these posts are necessarily unwanted, but you should make sure of that! Photos or posts that you’ve been tagged in are able to be seen by a lot more people than you think, depending on the other people’s privacy settings. Untag yourself in everything that represents you negatively. (1)
Your Birthday
While it’s true that a flood of birthday messages is flattering, giving out your birthday actually makes it easier for identity thieves to access key information about you. Why not make it harder for them by not posting your birthday? (1)
Your Manager/Supervisor/Boss
No one is saying that you post things that would be concerning to your boss, but think about it: something simple like posting about a night out with friends, posting about an annoying happening at work, or even stating your political views can become highly sticky if your boss sees it. Why not make it easier on yourself (and your job) and avoid this altogether? (1, 5)
