For better or for worse, social media has changed the way we connect to each other. We only need a few clicks to share our information, and one mistake can ruin your career or even your life, or it can also make you a target for cybertheft. Here are six tips to protect yourself on social media:

Create a Safe Password

Is your password “password1” or “12345678”? One of the most important things to pay attention to when using social media is to create a safe password so that your account doesn’t get hacked into. Safe passwords are at least eight characters long, has a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, symbols, and numbers.

Review Your Privacy Settings

Social media networks, such as Facebook, Instagram, and Snapchat, have privacy settings where you can control what you want to share and with whom. For instance, on Facebook, you can choose who can see your posts and your friends list, who can message you or see your phone number and email address. It is a good idea to only share your personal information with your friends and family.

Disable Geotagging

One of the most dangerous social media features is geotagging. Showing your exact location, which includes even the latitude and longitude, and where you are at the moment, might make you susceptible to criminals knowing where you live and planning to rob you when you’re not home.

Only Add People You Know and Trust

It is important to only add friends and family to your personal social media profile. Since anyone can easily create a fake profile and pretend to be someone else, scammers use the Internet and social media to blackmail you or commit other crimes. If you need to use social media for work, it is a good idea to have a separate profile where you don’t share important personal information online.

Disable Automatic Login

If you want to be extra securel, it is advisable to disable automatic login so that people can’t access your social media profile if someone steals your device or if you step out for a moment and leave your computer unlocked.

Be Careful With What You Post

Anything you share can be on the Internet forever and can be used against you in one way or another. Apart from your telephone number, home address, and social security number, it is not appropriate to share strong political opinions online, or polemic topics, or even revealing photos. One good rule of thumb is not to share anything your grandma wouldn’t want to see.