Many users have been outraged after they found out how Facebook has been exploiting their private information. They may have overlooked the fact that there is another service that stores a large amount of personal data and has a substantial user base.
LinkedIn, a popular platform that allows professionals to interact with one another and with prospective companies also stores a significant amount of personal data. This data is mainly comprised of career-related options and interests. While it is mainly used for targeted advertising access to sensitive data should be restricted in order to prevent undesired effects. Read below for several tips that will improve the security of your LinkedIn account.
Turn on two-factor verification
While being tied to a SMS every time you want to login may seem like a nuisance at first it the added security will make your account harder to crack and exploit. In order to enable two-factor security follow these steps:
- Click on the ‘’me’’ icon that is located in the upper right section of your profile
- Click on ‘’Settings and Privacy’’
- Click on ‘’Account’’
- Find and click on the ‘’Two-Step Verification option
- If you haven’t previously added a phone number you will be asked to provide one now
- Enter the code you received by SMS in order to complete the process
- Disable auto-synch
LinkedIn loves to synch your data. Since it is owned by Microsoft you can sync it with Microsoft Office in order to create elaborate CVs. You can also connect it to Twitter so you can share updates on both networks at the same time and contact employers by clicking on the dedicated LinkedIn button from their website.
Disable contact synchronization
You should do this if you want to keep your contact data for yourself.
- Go to ‘’my network’’
- Click on the ‘’ manage synch and import contacts ‘’
- Here you can opt to delete contacts one by one or all of them at the same time
- Turn off targeted advertising and research features
In order to disable targeted advertising, you need to go to ‘Settings and Privacy ‘’ and click on the add section. You will be able to disable a large variety of options but the first three are particularly important. Go back to the start of the section and track down the ‘’participate in research’’ option.
Your account is now more secure and harder to exploit.
Frances might be just at the beginning of her career, but after attending a technical school, she has a fresh perspective on today’s technology. She contributes to the site with tech news.
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