Secure your social media accounts for the holidays, PNP says

MANILA, Philippines — Are you keen on sharing videos of your holiday parties on Facebook or your vacation snapshots on Instagram?

You might have to delay posting that if you want to safeguard your belongings, according to the Philippine National Police (PNP).

PNP reminded the public on Friday to secure their social media accounts, by restricting access to personal posts.  This is particularly important for people sharing photos which may indicate that there is nobody inside their respective residences.

“Magandang ipa-alala natin sa ating mga kababayan ‘yong paggamit ng social media, sana lagyan natin ng level of security, importante din na meron tayong privacy do’n sa mga gagawin natin ngayong holidays,” Deputy Spokesperson Supt. Kimberly Molitas said in a briefing in Camp Crame.

“We know that we are all in a festive mode, pero maganda rin na isipin natin ‘yong security ng ating families.  Nire-recommend natin na medyo i-hold muna natin ‘yong pagpopost sa social media, siguro for a couple of hours or a day,” she added.

And for those who are using live features of social networking sites, Molitas advised them to restrict it to friends — provided that a social media user’s friends are real-life acquaintances.

“Kung gusto natin talaga na mag-realtime, i-limit natin ‘yong ating audience ‘don sa mga talagang kaibigan natin at mga kakilala natin,” the PNP official said.

“We have to be reminded that the social media has a worldwide audience lalo na po kung naka-public ang settings, kung naka-connect ang aking location, ‘yan po ay open para sa lahat ng mga virtual audience hindi lang sa Pilipinas,” she explained.

Molitas said authorities have not yet monitored any robbery incident that stemmed from information posted on social media.  But despite this, police still warned netizens to take extra care in posting.

“Ayaw naman nating mag-cause ng alarm, but we want to give precautions for our social media users na maging aware sila of the consequences of anything that they post on social media,” she said.

Fire hazard

Aside from the above-mentioned reminders, PNP also asked people traveling back to the provinces or those with trips abroad to secure their houses, important documents, and items.  They also reminded people to turn off appliances and gadgets using electricity to avoid fires.

“Siguro ‘yong ating usual na paalala sa ating mga kababayan kapag nagbabakasyon po sila, i-secure po natin ‘yong ating mga properties, siguraduhin po natin na naka-secure ‘yong mga importanteng bagay,” Molitas said.

“Nakikita po natin na medyo nagkaka-sunog lately, so importante rin po na mag-unplug po tayo ng ating mga gamit, i-check po natin bago tayo bumyahe,” she added.

Just in December, three fires have been recorded in Metro Manila, including the incident in Barangay Guadalupe Viejo in Makati which left 600 families homeless and more than P10 million worth of damages.

A previous report from the Department of Interior and Local Government said that for last year’s New Year’s Eve, 14 fires were recorded.

READ: BFP: Laperal Compound fire damage estimated at P10 million

READ: Año to BFP: Stay on guard thru the holidays

Molitas also said that they have nothing against people leaving lights or radios on, to deceive robbers into thinking that residents are still inside the house.  However, travelers would have to ensure that the appliances left functioning would not cause a fire.

“Let’s make sure na kung gagawin natin ‘yon, ‘yong electrical natin maganda ‘yong settings or ‘yong pagkaka-ayos.  Kasi ang fire naman, according to our counterparts from the Bureau of Fire (Protection), galing naman sa faulty wirings, hindi naman sa maayos na line eh,” she explained.

“Kung mag-iiwan tayo ng spotlight, or ‘yong alarms, let’s make sure na it’s properly connected, ‘yong tama po ‘yong gadget kung saan natin i-decide na gamitin,” she noted./lb