Surveys, quizzes and apps…oh my

Sure, it would be fun to know what I might look like in 30 years, a few more gray hairs, a couple more wrinkles.  But is it worth putting my personal information at risk?  No, it is not.

This week’s app craze, FaceApp, has everyone uploading comparison photos of what you might look like in the future.  And just as fast at the posts could be shared, articles were coming out on the dangers of the app.

A day doesn’t go by where a friend posts on Facebook, “don’t accept a friend request from me, I think I’ve been hacked.”  Scroll back through that friend’s feed and you’ll likely see dozens of quizzes and surveys asking things like “if you were a dog what would you be” or “see what your stage name will be by sharing your birth month and the last food item you ate”  or “post an album cover every day for a week.”

I’m not saying that all these surveys, quizzes and apps are dangerous.  But the more personal information you share on social media, the more access you provide to your devices, photos, locations, etc. the more likely it is that you are going to be compromised.
Think twice before downloading an app.  Do a little independent research.  And maybe skip a quiz or two.

And by the way, my stage name would be October Waffles.