Many people enjoy taking social media personality quizzes, although these are not always the harmless fun they appear to be. In some instances, the authors of these quizzes are trying to trick you into providing personal information they can use for targeted marketing or even identity theft.
Alcatel offers some ideas about keeping your data safe:
Read the fine print of terms of service
Before you start that quiz to find out which Harry Potter character you are, check which data the app is asking permission for and how it plans to use your information. Only take quizzes from respected websites, and never agree to these that ask for your email address or other personal information.
When in doubt, don’t do the quiz
It’s safest to avoid quizzes on social platforms altogether since you can’t always be sure who developed the app or set up the quiz, and what their real motivation is.
Clean up the apps on your profile
Go into settings on Facebook, for example, to see which apps are active on your profile. From here, you can update the information you’re sharing with the app, who can see that you use the app and notifications you receive. Remove those you never use or which ask for unnecessary personal information.
Never share personal information on a quiz
The name of your primary school teacher or first pet, your first car, your mother’s maiden name…these are all details that are often used for password reset questions. You may even use them in some of your passwords. This info can be useful to hackers – so don’t give it away to a random app on the Internet.
Don’t share personal information on your social media profile
Don’t put details such as your phone number, address or even your birthdate on your social media profile – some apps ask for permission to your profile and this info may be valuable to identity thieves.
Use two-factor authentication
Just in case you give away too much info and someone guesses or gets access to your password, use two-factor authentication. This means that you need to provide a password or PIN emailed or texted to you when you log into a social media account for a new device.
