Threats to Security and Privacy of Information Due to Growing Use of Social Media in India

Abstract

The world is witnessing a rapid rise in the use of Internet by people. With the advancement of technology and increased use of mobile phones/smart phones, people are able to access internet virtually from any part of the globe. Social media is now a very popular means of communication on the internet. The basic idea behind social media concept was to create platform which is user-driven, interactive Web in order to ‘bring people closer’.
In this paper, an attempt has been made to provide an overview of dangers posed by social media platforms to the information security and data privacy of the people. Cybercriminals are using social media platforms to carry out their illegal activities. A large number of people are falling easy prey to cybercriminals everyday on social networking sites. This paper explores the different types of threats which may compromise information security and privacy of people especially the youngsters due to their increased use of social networking platforms. As India has one of the fastest growing social media user base in the world, this paper also explores the various security measures that can be undertaken to become less vulnerable to the threats posed by cybercriminals on social media.