According to CNN, "French law enforcement officers have been told to erase their social media presence and to carry their weapons at all times because terror sleeper cells have been activated over the last 24 hours in the country". The Charlie Hebdo terrorist attack and subsequent terrorist attacks on civilian targets in France have led the police to rethink cyber safety and security in the country.
The order to erase social media profiles in France is not unique. Last November, UK police officers were told not to discuss their jobs on social media. In 2009, the Pentagon mulled banning soldiers using social media and in 2011 China banned its soldiers from using social media.
I believe it is time for the U.S. military, federal and state government agencies, and law enforcement officials re-evaluate their social media policies. Privacy is not just cool but a necessity for personal safety and national security.
Too many self-described social media experts/consultants/ninjas/gurus/etc....are telling people how important it is to create detailed public LinkedIn profiles, share your most personal information on Facebook, Google+, Instagram, Twitter, etc... Some of the phrases these "experts" utilize when providing their advice include, "social media is about a conversation", "be authentic", "sharing is caring", etc... Don't trust any social media consultant who shares too much personal information online and/or uses Twitter or other digital platforms to have regular public conversations.
It is time for Internet users to re-evaluate their relationship with social media and digital platforms that are not created with a privacy first mentality. Privacy is hip and in because sharing too much may destroy your reputation, get you fired, or get you killed. Therefore, you need to ask yourself if its time to limit or erase any of your social media profiles.
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