Stay safe when posting back-to-school pics, cybersecurity expert says – Winnipeg | Globalnews.ca

With the first day of school taking place Wednesday for many Manitoba school divisions — and later this week for the rest — it’s an emotional time for many parents and caregivers.

If you want to mark your child’s first day of school with a photo on social media, however, there are some potential safety concerns.

Digital and cybersecurity expert Ritesh Kotak told Global News parents should limit the amount of personal details they post in their social photos to avoid criminals taking advantage.

“If you have a child’s information, then you’d be able to approach a child and you’d already know their full name and where they go to school…. There could be safety concerns there,” Kotak said.

“Ensure that you don’t tag a particular school or location. Don’t put your child’s full name, and try to avoid putting your child’s face in the picture — maybe take a shot from the back or from the side or something like that.

“The reason for that is there’s a sense of permanence, and once something’s on there, they’ll never be able to take it down.”

Another problem, Kotak said, is proud parents who are too quick to post their kids’ photos online may not be paying close enough attention to what can be seen in the background of those pics, especially if they’re taken inside the home.

“With respect to, let’s say, paystubs or other information that may be in the background, I’ve seen situations where that information has been leveraged to trick individuals into giving more information.

“I know this is an exciting time and a picture is worth a thousand words, but a picture on social media that’s digital might be worth a lot more — especially to hackers and fraudsters.”

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