Are you addicted to social networking? Do you know how to protect your online identity from hackers? Popularity of social networking is soaring high. Through this advanced technique you can stay in touch online, share fun moments, talk to your beloved. Social networking sites are also an excellent choice to exchange personal content online. Facebook, MySpace and Bebo, etc. are some of the most popular social networking sites. These websites are now becoming a huge target from preying cyber-criminals. They gather personal information about the users which is regarded as the first stage of many cyber-attacks related to identity theft.

Be it young or adult, everybody likes social networking sites. For the young people there are various risks such as online bullying, cyber-stalking, disclosure of private information as well as access to age-inappropriate content and online grooming and child abuse as well. Even the adults can also fall prey. Incidents like loss of privacy and identity theft are quite common. Even it is also not uncommon to see that the adults too are becoming victims of cyber-bullying and stalking.

For computer security you can consult a remote computer support provider. But there are some simple things that you should follow to enjoy safe social networking. Before joining a social networking site, you should learn how the site works. There are some websites that allow only a defined community of users to access posted content while there are many other websites allow anyone and everyone to view your postings.

There is some information that you should not disclose. As the number of cyber crime has gone up significantly, time has come to become extra cautious. It is recommended not to post your full name, Social Security number, address, phone number online. You also should not post or share your bank and credit card account numbers. Don’t even use your name, your age, or your hometown. You should post only that information that you are comfortable with others seeing about you.

Think twice before posing anything online. Remember, once you post something online, you can’t take it back. You may delete the information from the site buy it stays on the server. There might be serious consequences of flirting with strangers online. There are many members who lie about who they really are and you may end up with various problems.

The best option is to create a separate email account to register and receive mail from the social networking site. With this you can easily shut down your account and necessity strikes. If you want to meet a new online friend learn more about the person from online search engines (if possible). You better meet in a public place, during the day along with friends you trust.