With the revolutionary rise of Pinterest in the recent years, it’s imperative that this pinning site draws its share of threats. Just last year, hackers had managed to get inside Mark Zuckerberg’s Pinterest account. The following tips for privacy and security for Pinterest will ensure that your account will remain safe from potential security issues. Read on.
1. Enable Two-Factor Authentication
Similar to most sites, Pinterest has also included a two-factor authentication mechanism in its login page. Launched in the latter part of June this year, it lets you set up a verification code via SMS, each time you log in to the site. All you have to do is head over to Profile > Security and toggle the switch for the two-factor authentication. Once done, it will work globally on all your devices, irrespective of the device you use it to log in.
2. Revoke Sessions for Unrecognized Activities
Pinterest looks out for you if you have forgotten to log out after using it on a public computer. Similar to Facebook, it provides a nifty solution by laying out all the devices which were used to log-in. So, if you see an unrecognized device, all you have to do is revoke the access. You’ll find this set of settings under Security > Show Sessions and click on End Activity.
3. Pin Secretly
Pinning openly about random home decor ideas or diet plans don’t have many implications when it comes to safety. But if you are pinning solely for your personal use and don’t want the world to see, you can make use of Pinterest secret boards. Secret boards are off-the-radar boards that only you and your collaborator can see. So, all you have to do is toggle the secret button when you create your board. These boards have their own set of rules, though. For starters, once a secret board is made public it can not be reverted back to secret. And the same holds true for the Pins as well.
4. Revisit your Social Networks
For most of us, we use a single login — mainly Google or Facebook — to log in to multiple sites. While it’s one of the easiest methods, it, however, isn’t the safest practice. If you follow the same drill mentioned above (in signing in to Pinterest), be sure to disconnect both the networks after you set the new password.
5. Hide your Profile from Search Engines
Pinterest profiles, much like Facebook and Instagram can be searched from search engines. If you value your privacy more, you can switch on the Search Privacy. It works by letting the search engines know to exclude your profile from search results. However, the results aren’t immediate, as it takes a while to implement this function throughout.
6. Beware of Click Baits
All the pins aren’t true. This fact gets more noticeable if you have been following the topics related to weight loss and beauty. From my personal experience, I have found that not only do some websites carry wrong information they can also pose serious security issues like information mining.
7. Block Users
The internet can be full of unruly people and it turns out Pinterest is also not safe. If you have been seeing people posting inappropriate stuff or expressing opinions in improper comments, you can have them blocked. Blocking people don’t let the other person know that they have been blocked. Though blocked people’s post and pins won’t appear on your daily feed, you’ll be able to see them if you search for them manually.
That’s All, Pinners!
Given the current circumstances, security risks and privacy issues are keeping on growing by the minute. And the only way to keep our details protected is to stay vigilant throughout. Better safe than sorry, right? See Next: 5 Cool Apps to Take Your Instagram Story to the Next Level
