Social Media Safety

• Check if the developer’s name spelled right. Is there weird spacing, or random characters in place of letters? These can be signs of an imposter.  
• Look at reviews and ratings from the app’s users. Is the app reputable?  
• Check the version history. Does it show a last update date? If this is missing, it can be a warning sign.
• Is there a warning from the app store about the app? App stores issue warnings when apps are missing documentation and/or have security issues.

• If you’re not paying for the app, then you are/your information is the product.
• Check the app’s settings. 
• Do they mention your data is being used for marketing and advertising purposes?  Or if it’s being shared with third parties? Do they use words like “partners,” “affiliates,” “service providers,” “third parties” or “advertisers”? 
• If so, look at the scope of the “sharing.” Is it pieces of your data, or is it all of your data?  
• Is the sharing legitimate? Do they have proper procedures in place on how and what they share? If a privacy policy states it uses your data for “personalized,” “targeted,” “behavioural” or “interest-based” advertising, or if they don’t make a statement about how they are or are not sharing your info, be cautious. It often means other third-party companies are being given access to your data that don’t have your best interests at heart or may not have good security measures in place to protect your data once they have it.  

Customer data is often collected in three ways: asking for your permission, indirectly tracking you, and data matching with other systems. 

• The "Grocery Store Loyalty" example:
  • When joining a grocery loyalty program app, the grocery store (or its associated app) might ask your permission when you register to collect your name, email and loyalty card number for the purposes of administering the loyalty card.
  • This seems reasonable to most people. However, when you download the app, the privacy settings might be automatically set up to share or track more information than they originally requested.
  • If you don’t change the default privacy settings, the store may be using the app’s features (GPS, log-in or proximity info) to indirectly collect when you shop, what you buy most often, what stores you use the most, what device you use to access the app, how long you are in the store, etc.  
  • Once the store has enough information about you, they may also be able to access other systems like their cash registers, online ordering systems, etc., to see if you returned an item, how often you order, if there are other products you might be interested in (like the company credit card or a promotional offer), etc.
  • They might also sell your information to another third-party company.  
• How do I limit what is collected? Check your privacy settings.
• By default, apps can be set up to track your be location, type of device, camera, GPS, or mode of transportation.
• Some apps only access this info when you’re using it, while others access them all the time.

• Check security and privacy settings.
• Examples:
  • Facebook/Instagram/WhatsApp - USA, Denmark, Ireland, Singapore
  • LinkedIn - USA, Singapore
  • Pinterest - USA
  • Reddit - Cloud-based through Amazon Web Services
  • Tik Tok - USA, Ireland, Norway, Singapore, Malaysia.
  • Tumblr - USA
  • WeChat - Singapore, HongKong, Mainland China
  • X (formally known as Twitter) - USA
  • YouTube - USA, Chile, Ireland, Netherlands, Denmark, Findland, Belgium, Taiwan, Japan, Singapore
•  

• On Apple devices
• On Android devices
• On other devices 

• Check your security and privacy settings.
• How to manage your privacy settings on social media. 

• Yes, as much as possible you should try to only use apps that use MFA.

• Please visit our staying cybersafe page.