Social Media and Home Security

We now live in a ‘connected world’ and many of us are using our home computers, laptops, smart phones to stay connected 24/7. It is certainly interesting and often fun to read about our friend’s adventures through social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others. Not only do we participate but so do our kids and teenagers. What are the risks?

On a quiet Sunday morning, while scanning Facebook, I was surprised to read on line how a number of my friends were posting their daily whereabouts and their vacation plans. It occurred to me that my wife and I had also participated in this behaviour. The realization hit that perhaps this was making us vulnerable to a break in. At that moment I resolved to make sure our Home Alarm system is activated EVERY TIME we leave our house. We had been informing hundreds of people that our home would be unoccupied.
The concept of social networking is fascinating. But by design it links us to hundreds and sometimes thousands of people we barely know….and by shared comments we now connect with friends of friends of friends…or otherwise known as TOTAL STRANGERS. So when we post on our Facebook wall, or a friends wall, that we are going to the cottage for the weekend…just how many people are we telling that our house is empty and vulnerable? Do we know what our teenagers are posting every minute of the day? The bottom line is that while social networking is fun, we are putting our personal information in the public domain…and that comes with risks. NOW is a good time to have “the talk” with your family about internet safety and using discretion when posting on social media sites. We just don’t know who is listening and watching. Use your alarm system every day to maximize your protection. 24/7 monitoring of our homes has never been more relevant or important.