Twitter
Twitter is a virtual and public forum used by individuals, groups and businesses. This social media platform is designed for users to be able to share and discuss opinions and events referred to as ‘tweets’. Tweets are short and succinct, allowing for informal collaboration and quick information sharing.
Quick Facts
- Twitter profiles are often public, allowing the world to see this information with few restrictions.
- It’s important to understand how to use Twitter safely, what to look for if things go wrong, and how to respond in these cases.
- Twitter use can be referred to as microblogging, a combination of blogging and instant messaging.
- Each tweet entry is limited to 280 characters or less.
Prevention
- Don’t post information, photos or videos you would not want re-tweeted by strangers.
- Always use a strong & unique password.
- Enable personal verification as a tool if you forget your password.
- Remove unknown apps from your twitter account that collect data.
- Ensure you are using the legitimate twitter website before signing in.
- Backup your tweets if they are important to you or your business.
- Unfollow or block those that threaten your wellbeing.
- Disable geolocation on tweets, tailored ads and others ability to tag you in photos.
- Use a link checker service to ensure all links are safe before clicking!
Detection & Response
- Watch out for notifications of tweets or direct messages you did not send.
- Keep an eye on your followers, changes to users you follow may indicate a compromise.
- Check your profile often to ensure that changes have not been made.
- Check the apps you have attached to your profile and revoke the authorisation of any that look suspicious.
- Utilise two-step verification to receive notifications when your account has been accessed.
- Report if your own account has been compromised and follow Twitter’s official account recovery instructions.
- Inform Twitter immediately if you suspect fraud.
- Twitter has the option to ‘flag media’ if a tweet, ad or image is inappropriate, offensive or fraudulent.
- Twitter has two forms for reporting: One form is for reporting impersonation and the other is to report abusive or harassing behaviour.
For more facts of social media security please see our other Social Media Fact Sheets.
For additional support or information, contact IDCARE by submitting a Get Help Form or call 1800 595 160 (Aus) or 0800 121 068 (NZ).
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Disclaimer
Identity Care Australia & New Zealand Ltd (IDCARE) provides identity and cyber security incident response services (the Services) in accordance with the following disclaimer of service:
- IDCARE is Australia and New Zealand’s national identity and cyber incident community support service. IDCARE is a not-for-profit and registered Australian charity.
- The Services provided do not constitute legal advice. IDCARE recommends that you consult your own legal counsel in relation to your legal rights and obligations, including but not limited to your legal rights or obligations under Australian and international privacy and data protection laws.
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