As the internet technology continues to evolve, more threats are also being faced by active users. A classic example is the hacking of social media accounts by people who have fraudulent intents. As such, it is a must for social media users today to be extra vigilant and to protect their accounts at all times whether it’s on Facebook, Twitter, Google+, Instagram, LinkedIn and Pinterest.
While doing it manually can help, there are now user-friendly tools that you can use to backup your social media accounts. What matters is you take the time to do it before all your personal information gets lost online and used by someone else. Each social network has its own security measures to protect the information of all its users. However, they also provide options to users who want to backup their accounts the way they want it. Most allow users to download their personal info, status updates and images for free so they can make them available offline. One just needs to request it on the site.
Manual Method
To save a copy of all your information on Facebook, you have to go to your Account Settings page and on the General section, there’s a link that says “Download a copy of your Facebook data.”
Clicking this will download details of your check-ins, chats, general account details and photos among many others. Two options are available to users now – downloading the basic archive and the expanded one. With the expanded download, more details can be saved such as the apps you have installed, list of friends you have unfriended and data you have hidden from your newsfeed among others. For the two steps, you will then receive an email notification letting you know when your data is ready for download.
The steps for Twitter are also simple. You still have to go to your Settings by clicking the gear icon on the top right hand of the page. Next, click the “Request your archive” link found in the “Your Twitter archive” section. Similar to Facebook, you will also receive a confirmation email informing you that the data you requested is now available for download. Twitter archives are in both HTML and CSV formats.
With Google Plus, users are given two options – download all data in one setting or download different archives individually. To do this, one needs to log into his account then click the profile photo on the top right of the page and then Account. Downloading your data will let you save a backup of your photos, profile information and contacts among others.
Backup Tools
For those who want to backup their data without having to manually log into their individual accounts, there are free and paid tools available.
The Frostbox tool backs up data from Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Gmail and Foursquare. As an independent cloud storage service, it saves everything from your follow lists to your videos and photos via a cloud server allowing you to access your data anytime and anywhere using your computer. Another advantage is that it lets you backup your own hard drive. The free plan offers 1 GB of storage but if you refer another person, you can get additional 200 MB of storage space.
SocialSafe is another great tool to use but this one backs up your data to your own computer. It can save your social data from Facebook profiles and pages, Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn, Google Plus and Viadeo. SocialSafe offers an affordable paid plan that starts at only $6 for four accounts.
With hackers just lurking around and continually finding ways to access data of other people, there’s no reason to be complacent these days. Follow these steps and keep your social media accounts secure moving forward.
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