Every day we check our social networking accounts like Facebook, Twitter to find out updates from our friends and latest happenings in the world. Most of the time, knowingly or unknowingly we like or re-tweet the posts. We as a normal social network user do not understand the meaning of Liking and re-tweeting the post. One thing to understand here is, when we like or re-tweet the post, it is considered as publishing it.
Recently one case happened where a man from Switzerland faced legal issues and had to pay fine of 4000 swiss francs for clicking likes on some other people’s posts. Mr. X (name is hidden) post some updates on Facebook profile. Some other people made comments to that post. Now Mr. Y liked these comments unknowingly. Then Mr. X complained in the court that he was being called racist, anti-Semitic and fascist in Facebook Group.
Mr. Y had not made any comments on Mr. X updates. He had just Liked the comments made by other people. Then why Mr. Y is facing trouble? That is because, when someone clicks Like on the post or comments, it is considered as you are trying to help spread the content so that it can reach to more and more people. You are supporting and encouraging that post and comments to reach to large extent of people.
Well, this case was unique and rare. No need to be scared and no need to start un-liking the post that you made previously. When we are doing something online, we should make sure that our action should not create any legal issues. We as a normal social network user are not expert in laws related to media and the technology that is used to manage social networking platforms. We should not just like any post or re-tweet anything to improve our social media profile.
It is better to follow one simple rule. Just like in our normal day to day life, we always think and then talk to people around us. Similarly, on social network platforms, we should first think about the action like re-tweeting a post or liking a post that we are going to take. This will definitely helpful to keep our self away from any legal issues.
Top 10 security precautions that you should always follow on social networking sites:
- Keep different passwords for your work machine and social networking account.
- Use Social networking profile for your personal purpose only. Never post anything related to work issues, family problems, religious and political issues. There is a great possibility that such post can go out of your friend circle even if it is limited to your friends.
- Always think twice before posting anything on Social Networking websites. You should not provide your sensitive and confidential details on social networking websites. You never know who will use these details for wrong reasons and you can face any legal issues.
- Do not trust anybody. If there is any post from your friend asking for any sensitive details, then first check with your friend in person to make sure that the message is genuine and social network account is not compromised.
- Always stay away from links and URLs posted on Social networking sites.
- Make sure your computer is up to date and protected by anti-virus as social networking websites is the are always target of spyware attacks.
- Never ever post, like, share or comment on any controversial subjects.
- Set privacy settings on Social network websites. By doing this you can limit the number of viewers to the post and pics that you post on your social network profiles.
- Do not use your actual photo as profile picture. This will prevent the misuse of your picture.
- Never use third party applications to access social network websites. These applications can steal your personal details and can misuse to make huge profits.
Even after following these steps, there is no guarantee that there will not be any issues. But, as we know precaution is always better than cure, we should always try to keep our self away from the issues that can occur from simple mistakes. Hope you like this post. If you have any other tips, then please let us know.