Data Protection on Social Media

Setting up a fake profile on social media is as easy as '1, 2, 3'. With a fake email address, basic data about a person (name, age, address, etc) and basic knowledge of social media, anyone can easily impersonate whoever they like. The whole process takes less than 10 minutes. Surprisingly, none of this is illegal. So how do we prevent this from happening to us? How do we stop cyber criminals from stealing our identities? Some websites offer tools which help us with identity authentication. For example, Twitter displays a blue tick on profiles of accounts which have been verified.
It is crucial to understand the terms and conditions of being part of big social media platforms such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram. Mainly, loss of your right to privacy.
The articles below can hopefully help you prevent yourself from identify theft and understand how social media uses your data. Always remember to read the terms and conditions before you sign.

Thomas, D (2018) Don't delete Facebook: just get smarter. The Financial Times . 23 March. Available on https://www.ft.com/content/97ecf7ce-2e8d-11e8-9b4b-bc4b9f08f381

Lucas, E (2018) How to shine a light on the internet fakers. The Times . March 22. Available on https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/how-to-shine-a-light-on-the-internet-fakers-dvmphtsgg