Most Secure Social Media Platforms Today

Social media platforms, whether for messaging, streaming, blogging, or a combination of all, have taken the world by storm. Most people have at least one account on a certain platform, and most of us have several.

While the proliferation of social media has brought us many benefits, as well as entirely new industries and professions, there are also some risks. Hackers, stalkers, and identity thieves may also notice the exposure we get from sharing, commenting, and messaging.

The two ways we can combat these risks are by improving both our cybersecurity and our cyberhygiene. By modifying our behavior to keep essential information hidden even when using social media, we can avoid direct intrusions into our personal lives. This will also prevent more severe consequences like doxing or swatting.

When it comes to cybersecurity, we need to make sure that whatever platform we use works well with our VPN. There should be no unnecessary data sent from our device to the social media server. Premium VPN providers like Le VPN will protect our devices with encryption and block any hacking along the way. But nothing can save us if we share data online in plain text.

Le VPN also has apps for iOS and Android , protecting both your mobile and home devices.

Social Networks, Messaging and Video Platforms

All social media platforms can be categorized into three distinct groups, all of which have security benefits and security risks. Also, the most popular platforms usually combine multiple features, which makes them exceptionally risky.

The largest group is messaging platforms, which are quite different from the short message systems (SMS) we used in the past. Apps like Telegram or WhatsApp host features like group chats or broadcast to your contacts. While for prudent users this makes it easier to connect with people, those who are not careful about sharing their phone number can find themselves hacked.

The second group are blogging and microblogging platforms, such as Twitter or Reddit. While these platforms are notorious for getting hackers and doxers, it is also possible to remain completely anonymous. This increases security if you have a good VPN provider, but you will need one that is made with your operating system in mind.

Having a Mac VPN or Windows VPN is essential for good security and a stable connection.

Finally, there are video streaming platforms like YouTube, where there are few creators but many commenters. Here the rules vary significantly depending on the group you are in. Those who comment will generally see little risk of being hacked, especially if their IP address is masked, but creators need to be very careful about their cybersecurity.

Cybersecurity Risks for Social Media Platforms

There are two ways to collect your data through social networks: the easy way and the hard way.

The hard way is a direct hack on your connection or your device. If the hacker knows your IP address and name, he will be able to find out exactly who you are. And if they know your primary phone number in addition to your IP address, it’s almost the same as being hacked. These types of hacks are the reason why you should use a VPN on all devices where you have social networks.

But, there is a much easier way to make us a victim of data theft or even identity theft. Sharing our phone number used for two-factor authentication as well as our private information directly can cost us dearly, there is no cost to the hacker just for asking.

Always be skeptical about incomplete profiles where you don’t meet the users in person. There’s a good chance a hacker is hiding behind a catfish, and these expert manipulators know how to play on people’s emotions and expectations.

The rule of thumb on the Internet is: if something sounds too good to be true, it’s because it’s false.

How to Assess Security?

While evaluating all security practices for a company is almost impossible, we can use some visible signs to know if a platform is secure and to what extent.

Mainly, there are technical features used by social networking sites. Encryption and encryption will usually show up in the platform specifications or in the developer console when connected to your desktop or laptop. Those with a bit of technical knowledge can find out whether their data is encrypted through the browser or not.

If you are using social media exclusively through the app on your mobile devices, you will need to rely on the reputation of social media sites. Also, you can use reports from other social media users.

If you notice that the social media platform you are using has leaked millions of user registrations in recent years, such as the case of Facebook, you will know that you should be more cautious on that site. Leaks and hacks don’t necessarily mean you shouldn’t use the site, just that you shouldn’t provide your personal information.

Being anonymous, both through a VPN and through the use of aliases and avatars, is the key to staying safe online.

Top 10

There is no perfectly secure social network, but there are those that support active users with their privacy concerns. While other social media platforms might have found their way onto the list, they are either too obscure to properly assess or too small to prevent a large-scale hack.

While it is not a rule for a good platform to be a tech giant in its own right, a social media platform that is useful and secure would find its way to fame and fortune pretty quickly.

10.Skype

First, but by far the least compared to others on this list. While Skype has a strong cybersecurity framework and robust network apparatus, it hasn’t kept pace with the times. This type of solution would be remarkable for a small company, but not for an experienced multi-billion dollar company like Microsoft.

Calls are relatively easy, and the setup uses some extended Windows 10 security features, but there’s no P2P encryption. Also, all communication goes through Microsoft servers, which are a weak point in this case.

9.Facebook

Facebook is a social media platform that cybersecurity experts love to hate, and not without reason. The tech giant has leaked millions of social media accounts at various times in recent years, mostly due to negligence.

The security features of this popular social media app aren’t bad for all accounts. But they do suffer from the big numbers rule. There are so many people using Facebook, and so many people employed at the company. This is especially true if they are trying influencer marketing and getting their name and brand out there.

8.VKontakte

Vkontakte, often shortened to VK, is a Russian social networking app quite similar to Facebook. This similarity can be seen both in the app’s user interface and in the underlying security.

The main benefits of VK over Facebook is that it is not as popular a social networking site (except in Russia) as its American counterpart. Also, good parts of the code below are encoded in Russian Cyrillic. While this doesn’t improve the security of the website directly. It does reduce the number of people able to crack or misuse the code. There is also less chance of a hacker fooling anyone in the development help desk.

7.LinkedIn

Although the media accounts on LinkedIn are geared towards business rather than social issues and chat. It is still a group of like-minded people who like to share their experiences. In many places, and especially in technology companies, a LinkedIn account is used instead of a CV.

As the platform primarily focuses on user-generated content related to business and marketing. Various security features are not included in the networks. Mainly, there are no encrypted messages, as well as the possibility of using aliases.

6.Instagram

This social media platform is the main base for all influencers and people who live completely fake lives. Ironically, although most people share hundreds of images of their face, their home, and their daily routine on this site, there is a great deal of choice for privacy.

Also, if you are using a VPN, there will be no trace of the upload geotag on your images.

Finally, if you’re trying to be an influencer, you’re probably already following one of the top tips of cyber hygiene, and that is creating a fake internet persona.

5.Youtube

YouTube is the only one of Google’s social media platforms to have survived to this day, now operating as a separate entity within Alphabet Inc.

If you’re just an audience member, YouTube can be perfectly safe to use. Since it no longer requires a connected Google+ account to sign in, the amount of data you need to leave behind is minimal.

If you are a content creator, your life will not be as easy as if you were a media personality, and certain measures must be taken to protect yourself. In general, revealing no more personal information than is absolutely necessary should be sufficient.

Although there are several security features installed, you will still share both your personal data and your banking information with the platform. Due to this data, you will need to practice excellent cyber hygiene and have a good cyber security system in place.

4.Twitter

While microblogging social networks like Twitter don’t require a lot of data to sign up and use. There are plenty of third-party plugin options within Twitter that do.

The level of security for users will depend on their level of usage. Check here for descargar videos de twitter

Fortunately, if you are using Le VPN, you will be able to regularly change your location. Which can be tracked through tweets, and thus hide your IP and whereabouts.

3.reddit

As there were several incidents in the past with this popular social platform. Various features were introduced to increase both the security and anonymity of its active users.

Mainly, there is almost no data collection on the website. While you do need to use your email. It doesn’t have to be a primary email or one connected to a phone number. This means that even if there are leaks, not much can be found.

Additionally, there is the recognizable feature of social karma that shows whether users have exhibited toxic behavior before, reducing the chance of mobs from misinformation.

2.whatsapp

Competing for the title of best cross-platform social media messaging app. WhatsApp shares none of the flaws present with its parent company Facebook.

Also, you need a personal phone number to add someone on WhatsApp. This makes it impossible for someone to pretend they are one of your friends or family members.

1.Telegram

Telegram is a strange messaging app as it is a mix between the user interface of Facebook Messenger and the security features of WhatsApp. This combination makes it a superior social media platform overall as it has better monitoring than WhatsApp.

It has excellent P2P encryption and offers complete anonymity for those who want it.

Telegram also requires a phone number to verify your account, but once you’re connected, you won’t need that number anymore. This means you can easily order the app using Google Voice or a Burner.com number or just a prepaid SIM card if they are available in your region.

Trust nobody.

There is a saying that the Internet is a place where men are men, women are men, and 12-year-old girls are FBI agents. While this is a joke, and those agents are from the NSA. It is actually very easy to fake your identity online.

In the same way that you protect yourself with an anonymous account, someone else could too. But people can also use entire data sets to make you believe that they are a real person on the other side.

Whenever you use social media platforms, use a VPN and never talk to strangers about your personal life. Keep places, names, and relationships to yourself, as you could be feeding data to a cybercriminal.

conclusion

Most of the articles you will find about social media websites and apps. And that focus on cyber security, would be pretty negative. But, this does not mean that you should stop using these platforms.

What you need to do is invest in a premium VPN provider and diligently practice cyber hygiene. By using Le VPN, you can mask your IP address with that of servers around the world, and with a little imagination, you can create an online persona for you to connect to without anyone knowing who you are or any other data about you.