1 in 2 users in Singapore add strangers on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram

More than half of people in Singapore have befriended someone they do not know on social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
 
That's one of the findings of a poll conducted by software company Trend Micro on 1,201 consumers in Singapore. Trend Micro announced the results on Friday. The data is based on a study the company did to find out the loopholes in online privacy involving the use of social and Wi-Fi networks.
 
Through the study, it also appears that many people in Singapore are not taking online security seriously especially while using Wi-Fi networks to access their personal social media accounts at public places. Nearly one in four users do not disable their Bluetooth and Wi-Fi functions when not in use, even though this will drain the battery life of devices, according to Trend Micro.
 
The survey said that 68 per cent of people in Singapore have accessed free and unsecured public Wi-Fi networks with the most popular spots being cafes (22 per cent), restaurants (17 per cent) and public libraries (12 per cent).
 
Most of them access social networks via their mobile devices (83 per cent).
 
The survey also found that more than 40 per cent do not utilise the improved security functions on their devices, such as multi-factor authentication, and that 30 per cent of them do not know what they are at all.  

Multi-factor authentication provides another layer of user verification on top of the standard username and password login; this will strengthen security and control of user accounts.
 
Other ways to protect user privacy on social networks include refraining from using unsecured Wi-Fi networks when accessing social networks or making transactions -- if you really need to, empty your cache afterwards and refrain from clicking on shortened links when surfing for news, the company said.

Trend Micro claimed that many people in Singapore are “in danger of having their online identities or personal information stolen and exploited by cyber criminals”.