How to Stay Safe as a Woman on Social Media

Jacqueline Kaider
Sep 26, 2022
3 min read

Updated: Nov 21, 2022

As women, it is important that we are always on alert when it comes to our safety. Typically this means placing keys in between our fingers, checking our cars before entering them, and not walking alone at night. But as social media had grown, our need to share information with the online world can jeopardize our real-life safety and security. Follow the tips below to help keep yourself safe.

1. Be Aware of Geolocations

Geolocation refers to the identification of a user’s geographic locations via a variety of data-collection mechanisms. Whereas some apps, like Uber, need this information in order for their service to work many social media apps are now implementing this feature without the user’s knowledge and for reasons that are not really needed. Facebook, Snapchat, Instagram, and even Twitter are all examples of social media applications that have location sharing available for users.

Facebook allows users to input where they grew up and where they are currently living and uses location targeting to gather information to provide more relevant and personalized experiences,

Snapchat allows users to share their location on “Snap Maps” and has even launched a real-time location-sharing feature. And for those with Snapchat+, ‘Ghost Trails” is a new feature that allows Snapchat+ users to check the location history of their friends for the past 24 hours.

Instagram uses geotags which allow users to store or tag their content to specific coordinates. In September 2022 there was a scare with Instagram and its “precise location” feature. Although proven that Instagram does not share your precise location with other people, this panic really put into perspective how little we as social media users know about when and how much of our personal information is being made public.

Twitter has “Tweet location” which is available when the user shares the location at the time of Tweet and “Account Location” which is provided by users in their public profile.

These are just a few examples of how geolocations are used in the digital realm. It is important to educate yourself on how apps use geolocation and update your sharing preferences for your safety.

2. Don't Always Trust Default Settings

It is a poor choice to assume that the default setting has your best interest in mind and will keep you safe. Many social networking sites tend to set their default settings to be more public than the social media user may like. It is important to review the privacy settings and check them regularly, especially when a new update is announced.

3. Never Add People You Don't Know

When accepting requests from people you do not know, you are putting yourself at risk of dangerous people finding information about you. Oftentimes, if a stalker is interested in learning more about your preferences and habits they will create a fake social media profile first. On top of that, you are also not sure if you are accepting a request from a real person. Hackers create fake accounts all the time in order to gather information before invading accounts.

4. Avoid Posting Personal Details About Your Life

Sharing content that may include personally identifying information makes it easier for people to find you or for a hacker to steal your information. This can include your location, school, job, full name, medical history, or a photo of your home. It is always best to ask permission before you post something about another person and to choose private messaging over public so that less personal information is at risk of being shared.

In Conclusion...

Keep these four tips in mind when navigating the digital world. And while you're at it be sure to use strong passwords, be cautious of what you click, report suspicious activities, think before you post, and use a private internet connection as often as possible.

As women, we need to do all we can to protect ourselves and stay safe. As fun as social media is, don't be tricked into a false sense of security. It is up to you to take the necessary steps to stay protected.