Playing it safe with technology

WHILE technology opens new doors for convenient communication, it also exposes us to greater risk in terms of access by unwelcome persons to our personal information and intimate communication. Women are expressive beings, known to talk or write about their feelings far more than men, so you are no less susceptible to the risks associated with utilising communication technology.

More and more women are finding themselves caught up in different kinds of social media scandals, with their personal information and very personal photos and videos going viral. While some women do this on purpose to gain mileage for various reasons including boosting their careers, other women are innocent victims caught up in unfortunate scandals on the internet which destroy their lives.

Although it might seem safe to transmit intimate photos and videos via email or social media, think long and hard about the possible long-term repercussions that this seemingly spur-of-the-moment action can have on your reputation. It can destroy careers, relationships, families, marriages — frankly put, that one photo or video shared can change your life.

In addition to remembering that nothing you transmit via the internet is considered private, also think about whom you are sharing the information with. Do you really know this man, is he the type of person to blackmail you with that text, photo or video? Think long and hard before you hit the ‘send’ button.

While using social media, be careful how much personal information you share with others. For instance, stop telling persons where you are through the “check in” option on Facebook which reveals your location at any given time. Also check your privacy settings on Facebook and ensure only the people you intend to see your photos and information can actually access them. These days it is very easy for others to use software such as Photoshop to create fake images of you and distribute online, so be very careful about the types of photos you make available on social media. You could end up on pornographic websites if, for instance, you post a skimpily attired photo of yourself with someone. Such photos can easily be doctored by a mischievous person.

In addition to being mindful of the types of photos and videos you share, take your password seriously and make sure that your devices have a password in the event they are lost or fall into the wrong hands. Ensure that passwords or PINs are not easy to guess.

When you’ve ended a relationship, if your previous partner knew the passwords to your social media accounts and email, be sure to change them immediately. Think of it as changing the locks on your house when you’ve parted company with your partner.

The more difficult a password is to guess, the more secure it will be. For example, if you choose a one-character password that can be any upper or lower-case letter or a digit, there are 62 possibilities. A hacking programme can guess it very quickly. Using the same possible characters, an eight-digit password has over one trillion possibilities. Unfortunately, people generally put the odds in the programme’s favour by choosing easily guessed combinations. Therefore, these guideline are recommended:

1. Use as many characters as possible (minimum eight)

2. Include uppercase and lowercase letters

3. Include digits and punctuation marks

4. Don’t use personal information, such as names or birthdays

5. Don’t use words found in a dictionary

Techniques for strong passwords:

1. Put punctuation in the middle of a word, for example “Roos%velt”

2. Use an unusual way of contracting a word — “ppcrnbll”

3. Use the first letter of each word in a phrase, with a random number — “hard to crack this password” = “htc5tp”

4. Passwords must be changed periodically to reduce the likelihood of a particular password being compromised over time.

While a strong password can help to protect your personal information and keep those intimate photos and videos from being viewed by unwelcome persons, remember, once you’ve transmitted it via the world wide web it’s no longer private, so think long and hard before you hit ‘send’.

Jerome Morgan is a personal security and self-defence enthusiast with over 11 years’ experience in security and intelligence locally and internationally. He is also a certified private investigator, black belt instructor and krav maga, who is passionate about helping the most vulnerable, including women, to defend themselves. Email archangel9mm@gmail.com or visit Archangel on Facebook.