Crime Traveller
No Result
View All Result
  
Subscribe
  • Home
  • Research

    Do criminals freely decide to commit offences? How the courts decide

    We might not be able to understand free will with science. Here’s why

    Indian Trafficked Brides: The Stories of Three Women

    Trending Tags

    • Neuroscience
    • Mental Health
    • Criminal Brain
    • Juvenile Crime
  • Psychology
    Image: Shutterstock

    Psychopaths – Born Or Made?

    The Question of Why: Did Ted Bundy have Dissociative Identity Disorder?

    Teenage psychopathy

    What Should We Do With Teenage Psychopaths?

    Trending Tags

    • Narcissism
    • Psychopathy
    • Profiling
    • Mental Health
    • Psychology
  • Family Violence

    Reckless Speculation about Jeffrey MacDonald

    O. J. Simpson Trial: 26 Years Later

    O. J. Simpson: Murder in the First Degree

    Reasonable Doubt: The Hendricks Family Murders

    Melanie McGuire

    A Convicted Killer, Two Criminologists, and One Podcast: Direct Appeal Investigates ‘Suitcase Killer’ Melanie McGuire Case

  • True Crime
    Justice For Helen Book Cover

    Helen’s Law: A Mother’s Long Fight For Justice

    Get Rich or Die Hard! The FBI Manhunt for Houston’s Northside “Sniper” [PART 2]

    Get Rich or Die Hard! The FBI Manhunt for Houston’s Northside “Sniper” [PART 1]

    Trending Tags

    • Unsolved
    • Serial Murder
    • Documentaries
    • Guest Posts
  • Book Reviews

    Details are Unprintable: Wayne Lonergan and the Sensational Café Society Murder

    Operation Jacknap: A True Story of Kidnapping, Extortion, Ransom and Rescue

    Stephanie Scott

    United in Grief: The Murder of Stephanie Scott

    Book Review: Reckless Speculation About Murder

    David Lazar by Robert Kalich: A Book of Truth Merged With Fiction

    An Interview with Dylan Howard: True Crime Books Release And The Truth Behind The Epstein Scandal

    Psychiatric Killings In The UK: Blood, Voices and Missed Appointments

    New True Crime Book Series from Skyhorse Publishing

    She’s So Cold: Murder, Accusations and the System That Devastated a Family

  • SPECIALS
    • CrimeConUK
    • Crime Spotlight
      Dr Sohom Das is host of the YouTube channel A Psych For Sore Minds

      A Psych For Sore Minds: An Interview with Forensic Psychiatrist Dr Sohom Das

      How Prisons Are Handling the COVID-19 Pandemic

      Don`t Become a Victim: What Info Not To Share About Yourself Online

      How Altering Our Education System Can Help Us Reduce The Crime Level

      What You Should Do When You Become A Victim Of Carjacking

No Result
View All Result
Crime Traveller
  • Home
  • Research

    Do criminals freely decide to commit offences? How the courts decide

    We might not be able to understand free will with science. Here’s why

    Indian Trafficked Brides: The Stories of Three Women

    Trending Tags

    • Neuroscience
    • Mental Health
    • Criminal Brain
    • Juvenile Crime
  • Psychology
    Image: Shutterstock

    Psychopaths – Born Or Made?

    The Question of Why: Did Ted Bundy have Dissociative Identity Disorder?

    Teenage psychopathy

    What Should We Do With Teenage Psychopaths?

    Trending Tags

    • Narcissism
    • Psychopathy
    • Profiling
    • Mental Health
    • Psychology
  • Family Violence

    Reckless Speculation about Jeffrey MacDonald

    O. J. Simpson Trial: 26 Years Later

    O. J. Simpson: Murder in the First Degree

    Reasonable Doubt: The Hendricks Family Murders

    Melanie McGuire

    A Convicted Killer, Two Criminologists, and One Podcast: Direct Appeal Investigates ‘Suitcase Killer’ Melanie McGuire Case

  • True Crime
    Justice For Helen Book Cover

    Helen’s Law: A Mother’s Long Fight For Justice

    Get Rich or Die Hard! The FBI Manhunt for Houston’s Northside “Sniper” [PART 2]

    Get Rich or Die Hard! The FBI Manhunt for Houston’s Northside “Sniper” [PART 1]

    Trending Tags

    • Unsolved
    • Serial Murder
    • Documentaries
    • Guest Posts
  • Book Reviews

    Details are Unprintable: Wayne Lonergan and the Sensational Café Society Murder

    Operation Jacknap: A True Story of Kidnapping, Extortion, Ransom and Rescue

    Stephanie Scott

    United in Grief: The Murder of Stephanie Scott

    Book Review: Reckless Speculation About Murder

    David Lazar by Robert Kalich: A Book of Truth Merged With Fiction

    An Interview with Dylan Howard: True Crime Books Release And The Truth Behind The Epstein Scandal

    Psychiatric Killings In The UK: Blood, Voices and Missed Appointments

    New True Crime Book Series from Skyhorse Publishing

    She’s So Cold: Murder, Accusations and the System That Devastated a Family

  • SPECIALS
    • CrimeConUK
    • Crime Spotlight
      Dr Sohom Das is host of the YouTube channel A Psych For Sore Minds

      A Psych For Sore Minds: An Interview with Forensic Psychiatrist Dr Sohom Das

      How Prisons Are Handling the COVID-19 Pandemic

      Don`t Become a Victim: What Info Not To Share About Yourself Online

      How Altering Our Education System Can Help Us Reduce The Crime Level

      What You Should Do When You Become A Victim Of Carjacking

Crime Traveller

Don`t Become a Victim: What Info Not To Share About Yourself Online

26 October, 2020 - Updated on 5 November, 2020
in Crime Spotlight
A A
Share on FacebookShare on TwitterShare

Written by Amanda Dudley

As the debate about the use and abuse of personal information across social media is more relevant than ever, many people have been forced to take a better look at what information they share online. This is especially true for children and teens, but many adults are oblivious to the dangers of information sharing as well.

While we might feel powerless when thinking about all of our data that mega-companies use for commercial purposes, remember that there are things you can do to protect yourself and your personal information. Your first line of defence is painfully obvious- just don’t share the information you don’t want out there.

That includes your location, confidential identity information, financial information and similarly private data that can be abused. Keep on reading to know how to protect personal information online.

Location

Your location is one of the most valuable pieces of data you should keep secret from the internet. When you share your location, you don’t only tell the entire internet where you are; you also tell them where you aren’t. It is not a long shot to say that you can outline a person’s whole weekly schedule, daily routine and favourite places from just their Facebook or Instagram profile. This leaves you vulnerable to theft, burglaries and other kinds of crime.

There are two different kinds of location information you can share when you are online. There is active location data that you share yourself, like tagging your location on a photo or a tweet, and there is passive location data that apps and browsers gather while you use them.

What you have the most control over is your active location data. The first thing you can do is turn on the ‘‘online not sharing location’’ option on your iPhone or turn off location sharing on your Android phone. Then you can turn off automatic location tagging on all of your social media. You should also find your camera settings and turn off location tagging. Many people don’t know their phone automatically geotags the photo with the exact location where you took it. This geotag is still present when you share the image on social media, and it can be used against you.

Moreover, never share your home address and be mindful when taking photos around your home, as you might catch some landmarks that uncover where you live.

Confidential identity information

You have probably heard of horror stories about identity theft and how hard it is to regain control over your life after something like that happens. To protect yourself from identity theft, never share confidential identity information like social security numbers or pictures of your ID, driver’s license or passports. Also keep an eye on various things in your photos that might reveal your personal information such as documents, envelopes or packages.

Financial information

Financial information is right up there with the most confidential data about you that you should protect at all costs. Any kind of bank account number, credit or debit card number, savings account and tax information should be kept away from the eyes of strangers, and most people you know for that matter.

This is especially true if you tend to flaunt your wealth online, which makes you a target for theft and credit card fraud. Just like payment methods are evolving and becoming easier and faster, techniques for financial fraud and other crimes are evolving too. This means that knowing how to protect your personal information online is becoming more important than ever.

You should employ maximum caution with online payments as well, making sure you only deal with reputable and safe companies.

Account information

This is more or less self-explanatory, but still deserves a mention. All that you do to protect your personal information online will be pretty much useless if someone gets their hands on your account information. Breaking into just one account makes it infinitely easier to gain access to all of the information that you worked so hard to hide.

While it can be very difficult to avoid ever getting hacked, you can avoid sharing any information that might give easier access to your account to someone else. This doesn’t only include passwords – it applies to various general information that is used for password recovery. This information includes your first pet’s name, your first home address, your favourite vehicle or color. You can be tricked into sharing these while taking quizzes, surveys and similar games on social media, so be mindful of that.

As far as passwords are concerned, a strong password is the least you can do to stay safe. It is also wise to change your passwords regularly, and never have the same password for more than one account.

Overall, the dangers of sharing your information online are numerous. It can be startling to realise you are putting more of yourself out there than what you bargained for, so take a deep breath and tackle this issue systematically. You can reserve a day in the month for internet security control, where you take your time and make sure all of your data is secured and your passwords are changed. If you really must share your personal information with someone online, you can opt for a browser extension like Safe share. It enables you to send and request personal information that will be encrypted and available only when using a password. Stay safe and private, as the internet is vast and full of dangers.


About the author: Amanda Dudley is a lecturer and a writer with a Ph.D. in History at Stanford University. After receiving the doctoral degree, Amanda continued her educational career at the university. Since 2001, she began to conduct lectures on American and world history for graduates and undergraduates, and she currently works as a part-time essay writer for a writing service.

All views, thoughts and opinions expressed in article text belongs solely to the article author. As an Amazon affiliate, Crime Traveller may earn a small commission from qualifying purchases. See our Disclaimers page for more information.
Tags: Guest Posts
Share34Tweet21Pin9
Previous Post

Do criminals freely decide to commit offences? How the courts decide

Next Post

How Prisons Are Handling the COVID-19 Pandemic

Related Posts

Get Rich or Die Hard! The FBI Manhunt for Houston’s Northside “Sniper” [PART 2]

14 January, 2021

In 2016 the FBI and Houston police were on the hunt for a real-life sniper believed to be a serial killer and robber whose M.O....

Read more

Get Rich or Die Hard! The FBI Manhunt for Houston’s Northside “Sniper” [PART 1]

4 January, 2021 - Updated on 14 January, 2021

The first part of this incredible true story of a Houston criminal who specialized in robbing armoured trucks and murdering the guards, and how he...

Read more

Court TV Expands UK Footprint with Launch on Freesat

19 December, 2020

CourtTV's UK launch offered audiences access to, and analysis of, the most explosive real-life courtroom dramas taking place in the US today, live and gavel-to-gavel.

Read more

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

I agree to the Terms & Conditions and Privacy Policy.

Stay Connected

What's New?

True Crime & Justice

Get Rich or Die Hard! The FBI Manhunt for Houston’s Northside “Sniper” [PART 2]

14 January, 2021
True Crime & Justice

Get Rich or Die Hard! The FBI Manhunt for Houston’s Northside “Sniper” [PART 1]

4 January, 2021 - Updated on 14 January, 2021
True Crime & Justice

Court TV Expands UK Footprint with Launch on Freesat

19 December, 2020
Load More

Search

No Result
View All Result

Categories

#StaySafe

Coronavirus
(COVID-19)


Information & Guidance
World Health Organisation  
US - coronavirus.gov
UK - gov.uk/coronavirus

You Might Also Like

True Crime & Justice

Forensics Science And Dr Joseph Bell: The Real Sherlock Holmes

29 July, 2015 - Updated on 7 July, 2018
Book Reviews

Hunt for the 60s’ Ripper: An Interview with True Crime Author Robin Jarossi

6 September, 2017 - Updated on 13 November, 2020
Book Reviews

Details are Unprintable: Wayne Lonergan and the Sensational Café Society Murder

24 September, 2020 - Updated on 9 November, 2020
Crime Research

Juvenile Crime and The Age Of Criminal Responsibility

18 March, 2017 - Updated on 27 June, 2018

RECENT

Justice For Helen Book Cover

Helen’s Law: A Mother’s Long Fight For Justice

21 January, 2021

Get Rich or Die Hard! The FBI Manhunt for Houston’s Northside “Sniper” [PART 2]

14 January, 2021

Get Rich or Die Hard! The FBI Manhunt for Houston’s Northside “Sniper” [PART 1]

4 January, 2021 - Updated on 14 January, 2021

POPULAR

Forensics Science And Dr Joseph Bell: The Real Sherlock Holmes

Hunt for the 60s’ Ripper: An Interview with True Crime Author Robin Jarossi

Details are Unprintable: Wayne Lonergan and the Sensational Café Society Murder

Juvenile Crime and The Age Of Criminal Responsibility

Site Links

  • About Crime Traveller
  • Contact Page
  • Become A Guest Contributor
  • Get Your True Crime Book Reviewed
  • Crime Spotlight
No Result
View All Result
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Disclaimers
  • Cookies
  • DMCA
  • Newsletter

Copyright © 2016 - 2021 Crime Traveller, a website owned and operated by Alythium | All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Crime Research
  • Psychology of Murder
  • Family Violence & Homicide
  • True Crime & Justice
  • Crime Spotlight
  • Book Reviews
  • Get Your True Crime Book Reviewed
  • Become A Guest Contributor
  • Newsletter

Copyright © 2016 - 2021 Crime Traveller, a website owned and operated by Alythium | All Rights Reserved.

This website uses cookies. By continuing to use this website you are giving consent to cookies being used. Visit our Privacy and Cookie Policy.