Posted by Online privacy in the workplace is a topic that most users overlook especially for those who are not aware of the risk that it comes along. Reliance on computer and mobile devices for work purposes means privacy protection is highly important where confidential data can be hacked or abused if fallen into the wrong hands. Here are the 5 aspects that you should know about online privacy rights in the workplace.
Not Managing your Social Media Privacy Settings
We tend to share information about ourselves on our social media sites with our family and friends. But there are precautions to consider as well. In a workplace setting, not everyone is bound or link to every colleague. The possibility of your privacy getting unwanted attention is something you don’t want it to become a topic of discussion in the office. It is best to set your social media privacy settings to private instead and in certain posts that you want to make the post public it is possible on certain platforms like Facebook or Twitter.
Downloading or Accessing Files that are not from a Safe Site
Avoid accessing links or download an attachment through your work e-mail, especially if it’s from a person you do not know. That also applies if you are surfing the net searching for information that is relevant to your work. The chances of getting your company server affected by malicious software like ransomware can be detrimental.
Not Having a Strong Password
As we rely more on online services through websites and mobile applications. It is important to generate a strong password so that your account or site is not easily breached. That being said, it is also a good practice to change your password once in a while. You may never know if a certain site would be hacked, especially when it revolves around with confidential information from the company you work in. Try to avoid using the same identical password on other sites as well to reduce the risk of being compromised.
- A strong password should contain at least eight characters long, with a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. Avoid using any words that link back to your personal info such as your name, address, phone number.
- Avoid saving your password on your laptop or mobile device. Even though it is convenient, but you are actually increasing the chance of getting your account hacked.
- Most sites require two-factor authentication before allowing the user to access the account. If available, bulk up your account security with this verification system.
Bring Your Own Device Policy
Referred to as a policy to permit employees to utilise their own personal computer or mobile phones at their workplace. Organisation that practices this policy generally restrict their employees to use assets provided by the company instead of using their own. This is to avoid the risk of having sensitive information from being accessed on a personal device instead.
Adding Your Colleagues as Friends on Social Media
Adding colleagues or accepting friend request through social media sites is entirely up to your own discretion. There are those who limit their online connections only to family and close friends. There are also people who are open to accepting your colleagues into their social media circle without considering the deeper implications. Social relationships come and go as time pass by.
There are those who start as co-workers may just become your close friend even if you are no longer working in the same company as them. If you are looking to maintaining your relationship with your colleagues in a professional manner, Linkedin is the go-to platform. Compared to Facebook which is primarily for users to share their personal lives.
