Stop Posting Information From Your Personal History to Facebook
If the last few weeks of Facebook scandals have shown anything, it is that the social network already knows too much about us. But if you want another reason to stop sharing your personal information with Facebook, here’s a good reason: it could lead to your online accounts being hacked.
A recent security post from Krebs indicates that Facebook is full of popular pages that ask for the type of information that is commonly used in security questions to protect your account. At first glance, innocuous status updates asking for details about your first pet or the street you grew up on may sound funny, but chances are that this information also protects your online identity from hackers.
A quick scan of Facebook reveals tons of similar messages with hundreds or even thousands of responses each. One great example posted in a tire store asks, “What car did you learn to operate the gear lever in?” Many people can answer the popular security question: What was your first car? Other similar posts asked for information about your first job, childhood pets, high school mascots, first grade teachers, and the first concert you went to.
Nobody accuses these Facebook pages of intentionally phishing to obtain data. For most, this is probably just an attempt to get more online engagement, but once you post your personal details online, they never go away. So next time skip this Facebook post asking for personal information and keep it to yourself.