5 ways to compromise home security with social media posts

Whether you prefer to post on TikTok, Instagram, Facebook or Snapchat, people are watching your content, including with potentially unkind eyes. It’s no wonder that updates about our lives on social media are so common up to 78% of robbers report trolling on social media for possible theft.

So before you hit that post button, make sure your unpinned photos don’t sink any ships: here’s how social media content can threaten your home and what to do about it.

Exchanging travel plans ahead of time leaves the house vulnerable

From talking fridges to iPhones, our experts are here to help make the world a little less complicated.

Travel is an exciting opportunity to publish your influencer-level photos in exotic new places, but it comes with hidden risks. Showing everyone that you plan to be away from home (or currently traveling) can lead to burglars or other opportunists. green light to use an empty house. You’d be surprised how many people returned from vacation, met an uninvited guest.

Preparing the safety of your home before the trip can help with this, but it’s best to avoid the risk by waiting to post vacation photos. Use the advice of the pros and schedule instant vacation photos for later when you’re at home. Everyone will be able to enjoy your vacation photos, but a little later.

An important note: The same applies if you are moving to a new address. Wait for the transfer to complete before posting.

A woman posts on social media from her phone while lying next to a laptop. — Be careful about the details you share online to stay safe.

Tatyana Lavrova via Getty

From talking fridges to iPhones, our experts are here to help make the world a little less complicated.

Real-time location tagging shows exactly where you are (and aren’t)

Geotagged photos or auto-location tagging show your real-time location as you post. It can be fun to show your friends that you’ve arrived or checked in at your favorite restaurant, but it also shows everyone else that you’re not home right now. The same is true about publishing photos with geotagseven if you’re just in town.

This precise location data can give intruders and thieves a clue that you’re not home, and your home could be ready for trouble.

A man in cold weather clothes uses a phone to post content outside. — Never post content that can be easily identified when you’re not at home.

Alvarez via Getty

Talking about your daily routine can tell burglars when to show up

Social networks are full of people listing their daily tasks and habitsbut if you want to follow suit, be careful how much you share. Don’t say, for example, the time of day you go to work or the gym.

You don’t want anyone to have a record of when your house or room will be available. Thieves are already using security cameras to monitor the routines of homeowners; don’t make it easy for them.

Posting a new big purchase can attract unwanted eyes

Another common mistake social media users make is posting expensive new items they recently purchased. Sure, it’s exciting to show off and share big purchases like a new TV, a new computer, a collection of expensive miniatures, fancy new tools or new jewelry, but that’s exactly what thieves are waiting for online.

Stay safe and keep those special purchases just between you and your IRL friends to reduce the chances of them getting stolen.

Hands use phone to take photo of sunny living room. — Photos don’t just give away your location, they also show people what you own.

Feverpitched via Getty

If you don’t, your kids might

Finally, keep in mind that even if you are especially careful on social media, your children (or your partner) may be less careful. Especially young users of social networks may not be aware of the dangers of publishing all kinds of personal data, especially when a few seconds of video can cause them to a spike in popularity on TikTok.

So make sure your family also understands these risks and knows that there are certain things they shouldn’t post online – at least not right away.

Does it matter if your social media posts aren’t public?

Keeping your social networks accessible only to friends will make your posts safer, but it’s not a cure for all these risks. First, it’s hard to tell who is currently following you and who has access to their social feed, especially if you have a lot of followers.

Second, as mentioned above, other family members may be less cautious about revealing details to people outside their circle. Third, some enterprising thieves may even spam fake account requests to access a huge number of social media profiles at once and gather whatever information they can.

To learn more about how to keep your home safe, check out our tips single life without stressour wide home security cheat sheet and advice on preventing various types of hacking.