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Applebees waitress fired for posting customers receipt online

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Applebees waitress fired for posting customers receipt online

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"I give God 10%, why do you get 18?" This snarky comment has created a furor online after a waitress posted it on the website Reddit. Another waitress took a picture of the receipt and posted it Tuesday on Reddit, adding her own response: "I'm sure Jesus will pay for my rent and groceries." By Wednesday, the posting went viral. The customer who wrote on the receipt was hearing about it. She contacted the restaurant. The waitress was fired.Applebee's President Mike Archer said in a phone interview Friday that the company stands behind its workers. But he said there was no choice but to fire the waitress for violating the customer's privacy rights and the company's social media policy.

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ST. LOUIS The note at the top of the restaurant receipt read simply, "I give God 10%, why do you get 18?"

The snarky comment has created a furor online after a waitress posted it on the website Reddit. She has been fired, while the customer who scribbled the note has been vilified. And the controversy has forced the president of the restaurant chain to explain its privacy policies.

It began Jan. 25 when a customer who described herself on the receipt as a pastor shared appetizers with eight or nine friends at an Applebee's in south St. Louis. Applebee's spokesman Dan Smith said Friday that the group was large enough that an automatic 18 percent tip was added to the bill.

The full cost for the table was $34.93, including the tip, which Smith said the customer paid despite the comment.

If the waitress for the table was bothered, she didn't show it. But another waitress took a picture of the receipt and posted it Tuesday on Reddit, adding her own response: "I'm sure Jesus will pay for my rent and groceries."

Missouri's minimum wage is $7.35 per hour, a dime more than the federal standard. For employees like waitresses, bartenders and pizza delivery drivers who receive tips, the state minimum wage is $3.63, though employers must make up the difference for those who do not earn the state minimum in any given hour.

By Wednesday, the posting went viral. The customer who wrote on the receipt was hearing about it. She contacted the restaurant. The waitress was fired.

Applebee's President Mike Archer said in a phone interview Friday that the company stands behind its workers. But he said there was no choice but to fire the waitress for violating the customer's privacy rights and the company's social media policy.

"We have to protect our guests' privacy," Archer said. "There's a lot of private information on those receipts."

The backlash persists. Thousands have posted critical comments about the customer on Reddit, Facebook and at the bottom of news accounts. Applebee caught heat for firing the waitress and at least two Facebook pages were set up in support of her.

Kansas City, Mo.-based Applebee's has roughly 2,000 restaurants in every state except Hawaii and 15 other countries. Archer himself once worked as a waiter and understands how difficult the job can be.

But he said violation of a customer's privacy simply cannot be tolerated.

"It's not favoring the guest over the employee," Archer said. "It's really a simple rule that we have that was violated."

The waitress did not have a listed phone number. Messages sent to her through Reddit were not returned. The customer did not return phone and Facebook messages seeking comment.

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Applebee's waitress fired for posting customer comment online

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ST. LOUIS The note at the top of the restaurant receipt read simply, "I give God 10%, why do you get 18?" The snarky comment has created a furor online after a waitress posted it on the website Reddit. She has been fired, while the customer who scribbled the note has been vilified.

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Gilbert Gottfried comedian and voice of Aflac Insurance made insensitive joke towards the tsunami in Japan on twitter. The insurance company is the largest insurance provider in Japan and did not find the tweets funny. Gottfried was fired.

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Gilbert Gottfried, a comedian who has been doing commercials for insurance company Aflac for over a decade has been fired after making a bunch of jokes on Twitter about the Japanese earthquake.

A sampling of the jokes:

"I just split up with my girlfriend, but like the Japanese say, 'There'll be another one floating by any minute now.' "

"Japan called me. They said 'maybe those jokes are a hit in the US, but over here, they're all sinking.' "

"What do the Japanese have in common with @howardstern? They're both radio active."

"Japan is really advanced. They don't go to the beach. The beach comes to them."

One can laugh about anything, but Gottfried shouldn't be surprised that a corporate sponsor would fire him for publicly joking about an unfolding tragedy. This is particularly true here because, as the AP notes, Aflac does 75% of its business in Japan.

But what's really shocking about those jokes isn't just how offensive they are, but how bad they are.

(Via International Business Times)
A Useful Use Of Twitter: Jack Dorsey Tweets A Fascinating History Lesson 5 Years After Twitter Began →

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Aflac Fires The Guy Who Does The Voice Of Its Duck For Making Tasteless Japan Jokes On Twitter

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Gilbert Gottfried, a comedian who has been doing commercials for insurance company Aflac for over a decade has been fired after making a bunch of jokes on Twitter about the Japanese earthquake. A sampling of the jokes: "I just split up with my girlfriend, but like the Japanese say, 'There'll be another one floating by any minute now.'

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Teacher aide fired for racist post on Facebook

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Teacher aide fired for racist post on Facebook

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Jane Wood Allen, called first lady Michelle Obama a “gorilla” repeatedly and said she is a “disgrace to America!” Georgia elementary school teachers aide has been fired after posts she wrote on Facebook surfaced last week, enraging community members and people across the country who saw her words shared widely online. Many Facebook users immediately called for her termination and used the hashtag #FireJaneWoodAllen. “I am disgusted that this woman is an ELEMENTARY SCHOOL EMPLOYEE." The district announced  the aide had been “relieved from duty and is no longer an employee of Forsyth County Schools.”

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10 prospective Harvard students get their admission revoked over private facebook chat.

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10 prospective Harvard students get their admission revoked over private facebook chat.

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At least 10 prospective students of the Class of 2021 have reportedly had their admissions rescinded from the highly competitive university after allegedly posting offensive memes in a group Facebook chat. Several members of the newly admitted class allegedly created a group chat, at one point titled “Harvard memes for horny bourgeois teens,” where they posted jokes about sexual assault, the Holocaust, and the death and abuse of children.Emails obtained by the college newspaper show the school started investigating the chat group in mid-April. “The Admissions Committee was disappointed to learn that several students in a private group chat for the Class of 2021 were sending messages that contained offensive messages and graphics,” an Admissions Office to some prospective students read.

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At least 10 prospective students of the Harvard Class of 2021 have reportedly had their admissions rescinded from the highly competitive university after allegedly posting offensive memes in a group Facebook chat.

Several members of the newly admitted class allegedly created a group chat, at one point titled "Harvard memes for horny bourgeois teens," where they posted jokes about sexual assault, the Holocaust, and the death and abuse of children.

Emails obtained by the college newspaper show the school started investigating the chat group in mid-April.

"The Admissions Committee was disappointed to learn that several students in a private group chat for the Class of 2021 were sending messages that contained offensive messages and graphics," an Admissions Office to some prospective students read.

Prospective students suspected of belonging to the group were asked to submit a statement to explain their contributions. About a week later, at least 10 received notification that their acceptance had been revoked, according to The Harvard Crimson.

Harvard Public Affairs and Communications official Rachael Dane told The Independent that the university does not comment publicly on the admissions status of individual applicants.

Colleges and universities frequently start Facebook groups where admitted students can connect before arriving on campus.

Members of the Harvard Facebook group initially started a public messaging group for admitted students to share pop culture memes, participants told The Crimson. From there, a few admitted students allegedly started a private chat, for more subversive posts.

Students who wanted "in" to the private group had to post provocative memes in the public group in order to prove themselves, group members told The Crimson.

"This was a just-because-we-got-into-Harvard-doesn't-mean-we-can't-have-fun kind of thing." Cassandra Luca '21, who joined the first meme group but not the second, said.

Posts in the private group included jokes directed at different racial and ethnic groups, including one that referred to the hanging of a Mexican child as "piñata time". The nature of the group's jokes eventually began to disturb some of its members, according to screenshots of conversations obtained by .

"Some people replied with 'lol', a fire emoji or 'omg' and found them either funny or shocking," said Jessica Zhang, who joined and then left the group. "More and more people began leaving the chat when they saw those memes."

A disclaimer in the Class of 2021 Facebook page reminds admitted students that the school "reserves the right to withdraw an offer of admission ... if an admitted student engages in behaviour that brings into question his or her honesty, maturity, or moral character".

The school previously investigated reports of admitted students posting offensive content in a Class of 2020 GroupMe message thread. Posts included racially-charged jokes, and jokes mocking feminists. The admitted students who posted these messages were not disciplined by the school.

Just this year, a meme-sharing group for current students sparked controversy when students used it to mock Asian tourists, and even engage in personal attacks.

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10 students have Harvard acceptances withdrawn over Facebook memes

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At least 10 prospective students of the Harvard Class of 2021 have reportedly had their admissions rescinded from the highly competitive university after allegedly posting offensive memes in a group Facebook chat. Several members of the newly admitted class allegedly created a group chat, at one point

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High School Students arrested for Cyberbullying after suicide

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High School Students arrested for Cyberbullying after suicide

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Florida police have arrested two girls, ages 12 and 14 for allegedly taunting and bullying another 12-year-old girl until she committed suicide. "Because it is so public, it makes everyone feel like it's happening all the time,'' she said. "The thing that makes the victims feel desperately miserable is the feeling the entire community is ganging up on them and nobody is coming to their side.'' Rebecca ran away in November and was hospitalized the following month for three days after cutting herself. At one point, the school stepped in to separate the girls' schedules because of fights. Rebecca later changed schools, but the bullying continued online, on sites such as Ask.fm, Kik, Instagram and Voxer, authorities said.

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CLOSE

Sheriff says he made arrests after one suspect posted on Facebook that she didn't care the victim had died.

Florida officials have charged two girls, ages 12 and 14, with felonies for allegedly taunting and bullying another 12-year-old girl until she committed suicide.

Such criminal charges are extremely rare, although the problem of bullying and victimizing other teens is an age-old one.
STORY: Advice for parents on cyberbullying
STORY: Funeral held for bullied girl who killed self
Polk County Sheriff Grady Judd said Tuesday that he made the arrests Monday after one of the two girls posted on Facebook as recently as Saturday that she had bullied the victim, Rebecca Sedwick of Lakeland, Fla., and didn't care that she had died.

Rebecca, who killed herself Sept. 9 by jumping off a cement factory tower, was "terrorized" by as many as 15 girls who picked on her for months through online message boards and texts, according to authorities in Lakeland, Fla. One message said she should "drink bleach and die.''

The online harassment allegedly continued after she transferred to a different school.

Experts who have studied social aggression in teens, including bullying via the Internet, say such harassment is a widespread problem that has gained increased attention in the digital age, when written threats and taunts live indefinitely online.

About one-fifth of all teens report having experienced cyberbullying, says Justin Patchin, professor of criminal justice at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire and co-director of the Cyberbullying Research Center. He said the actions in the Florida case were extreme because of the length of the harassment, the number of teens involved and the seriousness of their postings.

"It is generally very rare for criminal charges to be filed against teens for these kinds of behaviors,'' Patchin said. "Kids have been bullying each other for generations. ... What makes it different is the long-standing nature, the permanent nature of statements online.''

Rosalind Wiseman, a Washington, D.C., author of two books on teen bullying, including a new one about boys titled Masterminds and Wingmen, said the relentlessness of cyberbullying can make teens feel isolated and miserable.

"Kids have been bullying each other for generations. ... What makes it different is the long-standing nature, the permanent nature of statements online."
Rosalind Wiseman, author
"Because it is so public, it makes everyone feel like it's happening all the time,'' she said. "The thing that makes the victims feel desperately miserable is the feeling the entire community is ganging up on them and nobody is coming to their side.''

Though bullying is as old as classrooms, only in the past decade or so have states moved to address with legislation what once was simply the domain of schools. In 1999, only Georgia had an anti-bullying law. Now every state but Montana does. In the past 14 years, states have enacted nearly 130 anti-bullying measures, half of them since 2008.

Spurred partly by the Columbine shootings in 1999, when news accounts suggested the perpetrators had been bullied, states began rapidly addressing bullying, a 2011 U.S. Department of Education report found. Eighteen states have laws that allow victims to seek legal remedies, either from schools that don't act or from the bullies themselves

The suspects were charged as juveniles with aggravated stalking, a third-degree felony, according to the Polk County sheriff's office.

"Bullying in and of itself is not a crime. But bullying makes up the predicate acts for stalking or aggravated stalking," Judd said.

If found guilty, it's not clear how much time, if any, the girls would spend in juvenile detention because they did not have any previous criminal history, the sheriff said.

The judge in the case remanded the 14-year-old girl into the custody of juvenile authorities, the sheriff's office said in a statement. The 12-year-old, described as a one-time friend of Rebecca's, was released into her parents custody "due to her remorse and cooperation." She will not be allowed to attend school, the statement said.

Ludd said a feud had erupted after the 14-year-old suspect began dating a boy Rebecca had been seeing. She "began to harass and ultimately torment Rebecca," Judd said.

The sheriff said the 14-year-old was "very cold, had no emotion at all upon her arrest." The second suspect was once the victim's best friend.

Judd said that the pair were the main culprits, but that the investigation continues into the possible involvement of other girls.

The sheriff said the tipping point leading to the arrests came when one of the suspects purportedly showed a lack of remorse for Rebecca's death by allegedly posting on Facebook on Saturday: "Yes ik [I know] I bullied REBECCA nd she killed her self but IDGAF [I don't give a (expletive)]"

The suspect told deputies that her Facebook account was hacked and that she did not write that post, WTSP-TV reported.

The sheriff's office says that in interviews with detectives, the 12-year-old suspect "admitted that she 'bullied' Rebecca and said she was sorry.

Judd said police decided to make the arrests out of concern that the girls would pick a new victim.

"We decided, look, we can't leave her out there," Judd said. "Who else is she going to torment? Who else is she going to harass? Who is the next person she verbally and mentally abuses and attacks?"

He said the parents did not cooperate, would not take them to the police and would not stop their daughters' use of social media.

A man who answered the phone at the 14-year-old suspect's Lakeland home told the Associated Press that he was her father and said that "none of it's true."

"My daughter's a good girl, and I'm 100% sure that whatever they're saying about my daughter is not true," he said.

A message left at the 12-year-old girl's home was not immediately returned, the AP said.

Rebecca's mother, Tricia Norman, told WTSP last month that the constant bullying drove her daughter to kill herself, and that the school district did not do enough to protect her.

"They would tell her she's ugly, stupid, nobody liked her, go kill herself," said Norman, who launched an anti-bullying campaign Rebecca Sedwich - Against Bullying, on Facebook.
Contributing: Greg Toppo, USA TODAY; The Associated Press
Rebecca ran away in November and was hospitalized the following month for three days after cutting herself. At one point, the school stepped in to separate the girls' schedules because of fights. Rebecca later changed schools, but the bullying continued online, on sites such as Ask.fm, Kik, Instagram and Voxer, authorities said.

Judd said that on the morning of Sept. 9, Rebecca texted a boy she had met online from the cement tower, saying she couldn't take it anymore and she was jumping.

Judd said the "red flags" for possible suicide were there. On her computer, police found search queries for topics including "what is overweight for a 13-year-old girl," ''how to get blades out of razors" and "how many over-the-counter drugs do you take to die." One of her screensavers also showed Rebecca with her head resting on a railroad track.

Florida has a bullying law named after Jeffrey Johnson, a teenage "techno geek" who was bullied for two years before hanging himself in his closet at age15. Amended July 1 to cover cyberbullying, the law leaves punishment to schools, but law enforcement also can seek more traditional charges.

Polk County Sheriff's personnel investigate the death of Rebecca Ann Sedwick, 12, at an old cement plant on Sept. 10 in Lakeland, Fla. Two girls have been arrested in her death. (Photo: Ernst Peters, The Lakeland Ledger, via AP)

Read or Share this story: http://usat.ly/1aIY96i

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Two girls arrested on bullying charges after suicide

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CLOSE Sheriff says he made arrests after one suspect posted on Facebook that she didn't care the victim had died. Florida officials have charged two girls, ages 12 and 14, with felonies for allegedly taunting and bullying another 12-year-old girl until she committed suicide.

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Today, with digitalization, employers judge prospective students or employees for their social media profile. So, it is important to teach students how to create online personas that project positive and constructive image.

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So, how do you teach your students digital citizenship? Just watch this video, I found it on Twitter, see how young kids are learning digital citizenship. I guess this is a great way to teach and learn Digital Citizenship.

Addressing the 21st century skill of digital citizenship is important; to help students to learn, communicate and collaborate safely and responsibly. Being a best digital citizen in the community includes having email etiquette, reporting and preventing cyber bullying, learning how to protect private information, etc.

Kathie Kanavel- Coordinator for Educational Tech, Santa Clara Unified School District, says, " Digital citizenship is really important for 21st century skills, because being a 21st century citizen means that you can collaborate and communicate, and you need to do that not only the people you face with but also those that you encounter in digital world."

School are now shifting to BYOD (bring your own device) as a main move for tech integration in the classroom. So, when students are so close to the tech, they must know or examine the impact of their online activity. Here are few crucial reasons why school should make teaching digital citizenship to their students the first step in the tech integration process.

Due to the fact that a lot of young kids embrace technology every day without examining the consequence of implementation, we must bring digital citizenship lesson in the curriculum. Students continue to use devices whether the device has been embraced in their curriculum or not. They are in touch with technology even after the surveillance of teacher i.e after school. Therefore, there is a need to teach them digital citizenship.

Today, with digitalization, employers judge prospective students or employees for their social media profile. So, it is important to teach students how to create online personas that project positive and constructive image.

Cyber-bullying is another reason for teaching digital citizenship. We can only prevent cyber-bullying by educating students about digital citizenship. Lack of awareness about digital citizenship can lead to the cyber-bullying which has grave consequences at times.

Information Search and Analysis is an important aspect of Digital Citizenship. There are lots of resources available over the Internet and not all is authentic. Digital citizenship teaches students how to look out, select, and streamline information and how to choose a real and authentic source of information.

Related

If you wish to adopt the Digital Citizenship and Internet Maturity curriculum in your school, visit the website to know more.

Teaching digital citizenship to primary students is crucial. So if you are a primary teacher then here are some tips that might help you while teaching digital citizenship to your kids.

Stay informed and safe:

Whatever students do keep their parents inform.

Ensure that their parents understand what their kids are doing.

Include parents as well in their kid online activities.

Things only get posted after teacher's approval of it.

Be Respectful

Talk to your students about compassion, respect and being kind over the Internet. Make the student understand leave comment that they wanted to receive in their blogs. Help them to understand how to just focus on good things and not on bad things and how to make ensure that only their "good work" online.

Be a good learner

In all your classes make your student understand that web is a place to learn and gain things. Keep their focus only on good place over the web where they can learn good things.

Today, the engagement of students with technology is more in this digital world, and most of them do not make right choice, in fact they don't really know what they are doing and what is its affect. Therefore, digital citizenship lessons are mandatory to teach.

Looking for Digital Citizenship Resources?????? Click here.

Image Source

The Latest EdTech News To Your Inbox

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Why is Digital Citizenship Important? Even for Youngest Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
So, how do you teach your students digital citizenship? Just watch this video, I found it on Twitter, see how young kids are learning digital citizenship. I guess this is a great way to teach and learn Digital Citizenship. Addressing the 21st century skill of digital citizenship is important; to help students to learn, communicate and collaborate safely and responsibly.

# data[].attributes.body
Cyber-bullying is another reason for teaching digital citizenship. We can only prevent cyber-bullying by educating students about digital citizenship. Lack of awareness about digital citizenship can lead to the cyber-bullying which has grave consequences at times.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
So, how do you teach your students digital citizenship? Just watch this video, I found it on Twitter, see how young kids are learning digital citizenship. I guess this is a great way to teach and learn Digital Citizenship.

Addressing the 21st century skill of digital citizenship is important; to help students to learn, communicate and collaborate safely and responsibly. Being a best digital citizen in the community includes having email etiquette, reporting and preventing cyber bullying, learning how to protect private information, etc.

Kathie Kanavel- Coordinator for Educational Tech, Santa Clara Unified School District, says, " Digital citizenship is really important for 21st century skills, because being a 21st century citizen means that you can collaborate and communicate, and you need to do that not only the people you face with but also those that you encounter in digital world."

School are now shifting to BYOD (bring your own device) as a main move for tech integration in the classroom. So, when students are so close to the tech, they must know or examine the impact of their online activity. Here are few crucial reasons why school should make teaching digital citizenship to their students the first step in the tech integration process.

Due to the fact that a lot of young kids embrace technology every day without examining the consequence of implementation, we must bring digital citizenship lesson in the curriculum. Students continue to use devices whether the device has been embraced in their curriculum or not. They are in touch with technology even after the surveillance of teacher i.e after school. Therefore, there is a need to teach them digital citizenship.

Today, with digitalization, employers judge prospective students or employees for their social media profile. So, it is important to teach students how to create online personas that project positive and constructive image.

Cyber-bullying is another reason for teaching digital citizenship. We can only prevent cyber-bullying by educating students about digital citizenship. Lack of awareness about digital citizenship can lead to the cyber-bullying which has grave consequences at times.

Information Search and Analysis is an important aspect of Digital Citizenship. There are lots of resources available over the Internet and not all is authentic. Digital citizenship teaches students how to look out, select, and streamline information and how to choose a real and authentic source of information.

Related

If you wish to adopt the Digital Citizenship and Internet Maturity curriculum in your school, visit the website to know more.

Teaching digital citizenship to primary students is crucial. So if you are a primary teacher then here are some tips that might help you while teaching digital citizenship to your kids.

Stay informed and safe:

Whatever students do keep their parents inform.

Ensure that their parents understand what their kids are doing.

Include parents as well in their kid online activities.

Things only get posted after teacher's approval of it.

Be Respectful

Talk to your students about compassion, respect and being kind over the Internet. Make the student understand leave comment that they wanted to receive in their blogs. Help them to understand how to just focus on good things and not on bad things and how to make ensure that only their "good work" online.

Be a good learner

In all your classes make your student understand that web is a place to learn and gain things. Keep their focus only on good place over the web where they can learn good things.

Today, the engagement of students with technology is more in this digital world, and most of them do not make right choice, in fact they don't really know what they are doing and what is its affect. Therefore, digital citizenship lessons are mandatory to teach.

Looking for Digital Citizenship Resources?????? Click here.

Image Source

The Latest EdTech News To Your Inbox

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Why is Digital Citizenship Important? Even for Youngest Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
So, how do you teach your students digital citizenship? Just watch this video, I found it on Twitter, see how young kids are learning digital citizenship. I guess this is a great way to teach and learn Digital Citizenship. Addressing the 21st century skill of digital citizenship is important; to help students to learn, communicate and collaborate safely and responsibly.

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Sharing too much on social media can lead to identity theft. In this article, it teaches students tips on how to be careful and keep things private when on a public platform.

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Julie Myhre, Editor of NextAdvisor.com, contributed this article to BusinessNewsDaily's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights.

By definition, social media is all about sharing information, whether it's photos, articles or even your thoughts. But, how safe is it for you to be sharing your personal identity and private information on social media? In 2012 more than 12.6 million people were victims of identity theft - an increase of one million victims from the previous year - according to the 2013 Identity Fraud Report published by the Javelin Strategy and Research, one of the top comprehensive analysts of identity fraud.

An address-based survey of 5,249 U.S. consumers was conducted in October 2012 to identify the impact of fraud and undercover areas where consumers need to be more cautious. Of the 5,249 consumers surveyed, a total of 857 have been victims of identity fraud within the past six years.

The results of the survey showed that even though the numbers of days that identity thieves misused the stolen identity decreased compared to previous years - 48 days in 2012, which is down from 55 days in 2011 and 95 days in 2010 - the total dollar amount stolen reached a three-year high at $21 billion. The all-time high was $47 billion in 2004.

The findings prove that people need to be more cautious about protecting their identity, especially on social media.

Here are seven ways to protect your identity on social media.

Keep your personal information private
The previous year's report - 2012 Identity Fraud Report - by Javelin included social media behaviors, and found that of the people with public social media profiles, 68 percent shared their birthday information, 45 percent of them included their full birth date; 63 percent shared their high school name; 18 percent shared their phone number; and 12 percent shared their pet's name.

It is always better to omit information about yourself rather than include it on your social media. Just because there is an option to include your current city doesn't mean you have to. Instead, opt to include a generalized version of that information or no information at all. For example, San Francisco Bay Area is a general option for Burlingame, CA. It still gives some information, but makes it a little more difficult to figure out your zip code or home address.

Set strict privacy settings
Go into the settings for your Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Pinterest, Instagram and Linkedin, and edit your privacy settings. Make sure you make all of your personal information - such as your birthday, current location, workplace, etc. - private or visible to only your friends. When your privacy settings are more lenient, you're giving strangers easy access to all of your information.

Don't tag or post your specific location
Tagging or posting your specific location is an exciting feature, but not everyone needs to know where you are at all times. It makes you and your home vulnerable, especially if your profile is public. It's fun to let your social media friends know that you're at Disneyland with your sister, however you're also letting everyone know that you're more than 100 miles away from your home, which makes it available for break-ins.

Know your friends/connections
It's important not to make you or your information vulnerable to people who you have never met before in real life. Steven J.J. Weisman - lawyer, author and professor at Bentley University - said that befriending people that you don't know makes it easier for them to take the information on your social media and use it to find more information about you.

"These 'friends,' who don't know you gain access from your Facebook page to personalized information that often can be used to make you a victim of identity theft," he said," often by providing information that can permit someone to learn or reasonably guess your email address or answer your security questions."

Don't just add someone as a friend because they wanted to add you. There is such thing as a "decline" button, and you should use it every now and then. If someone adds you, and you're unsure of who they are, you can always add them, then unfriend, unfollow, unconnect, etc. if you realize they're a stranger.

Always log out of your social media
This is especially true when you're using a public computer at a library or hotel. The reality is that we all have some private information on our social media - even if it's only our name and a photo - and you don't want to give someone easy access to your identity.

Use strong passwords
Passwords are one of the keys to protecting your identity, so make them effective. Learn how to choose a secure password.

Use an Internet security software suite
This software protects your identity when you're surfing the web or using social media. Weisman said that sometimes you will open a link or download a file included in messages from "friends" and, without your knowledge, the link or file contains a keystroke malware program that can steal all your personal information from your computer. "You trusted the message because it came from a 'friend,'" he said.

A way to prevent this from happening is to get anti-virus software that prevents, detects and removes malware to keep your identity safe. Most Internet security software suites come with identity theft protection features like anti-keylogging, secure environments or encrypted password protection.

While all of these steps are helpful in preventing identity theft on social media, Ravi Bhatia of Highly Relevant in Los Angeles said the only way to truly protect your identity on social media is to not use it. "People should use social media only if they're willing to accept the small chance that it can ruin them," he said. "If they fear the consequences, then they should avoid them at all costs."

The views expressed are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the publisher.

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Privacy on Social Media Guards Against Identity Theft

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Julie Myhre, Editor of NextAdvisor.com, contributed this article to BusinessNewsDaily's Expert Voices: Op-Ed & Insights. By definition, social media is all about sharing information, whether it's photos, articles or even your thoughts. But, how safe is it for you to be sharing your personal identity and private information on social media?

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1) Use passwords that can't be easily guessed, and protect your passwords.
2) Minimize storage of sensitive information.
3) Beware of scams.
4) Protect information when using the Internet and email.
5) Make sure your computer is protected with anti-virus and all necessary security "patches" and updates.
6) Secure laptop computers and mobile devices at all times: Lock them up or carry them with you.
7) Shut down, lock, log off, or put your computer and other devices to sleep before leaving them unattended, and make sure they require a secure password to start up or wake-up.
8) Don't install or download unknown or unsolicited programs/apps.
9) Secure your area before leaving it unattended.
10) Make backup copies of files or data you are not willing to lose.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
"Top 10 List" of Good Computing Practices

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Don't keep sensitive information or your only copy of critical data, projects, files, etc. on portable or mobile devices (such as laptop computers, tablets, phones, memory sticks, CDs/DVDs, etc.) unless they are properly protected. These items are extra vulnerable to theft or loss.

# data[].attributes.body
Author of "Dragnet Nation: A Quest for Privacy, Security, and Freedom in a World of Relentless Surveillance" discusses her attempt in erasing her digital footprint and dealing with data brokers
https://youtu.be/ff9DijphirQ