Twitter allows users to connect with anyone in the world, but it can also be a dangerous place with harassment and abuse. Threats can involve anything from offenses and spam to account hacks and worse.
Xiaomi France announced on Facebook that their Twitter account has been hacked and that they should not click on any shared links until the situation is resolved.
We regret to inform you that our Twitter account has just been hacked, we are actively working to resolve the situation. Please do not consider any messages inviting you to invest in trading platforms and do not respond to any account requests. Thanks for your understanding and support.
Facebook Xiaomi France
In this article you will find:
- Example of a post made by attackers
- How can we protect ourselves from a similar situation?
- See how to make Twitter as secure as possible.
Example of a post made by attackers
We hide the link and advise you not to click on any link shared by Xiaomi France account until this situation is resolved.
How can we protect ourselves from a similar situation?
Twitter allows users to connect with anyone in the world, but it can also be a dangerous place with harassment and abuse. Threats can involve anything from offenses and spam to account hacks and worse.
Twitter has been criticized for not acting quickly enough to remove offenders from its platform and, in many cases, allow abuse to flourish.
In recent months, Twitter has started testing many new features to change the way people interact on the platform. Some, like preventing people from sharing an article they haven’t read, can be helpful. Others, like the ability to turn off comments or send voice tweets, promise to bring new problems rather than solving current ones.
When it comes to staying safe on Twitter, it’s important to point out that Social Media companies thrive on conflict. While there are ways to protect your account, it is not possible to be completely protected from all forms of abuse.
See how to make Twitter as secure as possible.
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login verification
Currently, a strong password is not enough to keep the account secure. For added security, Twitter offers two-factor authentication and has added verification around password resets. You can access these settings at More> Settings & Privacy> Account> Security.
You can configure how you will receive the second form of verification: text message, authenticator application or security key. Once login verification is enabled, the user must enter the password and login code provided through this second form of verification. When offline, You can use backup codes that Twitter will provide when the user activates this feature. just make sure you keep them in a safe place.
They can also use password reset protection to ensure no one can log in, and lock Twitter account. Checking this option will require them to provide an email address or phone number whenever they try to change the password.
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Tweet privately
One of Twitter’s biggest strengths is also probably its biggest weakness. The ability to communicate with anyone on the platform, not just those in our immediate circle of friends, opens the door to a wider conversation. But it also means they are not protected from outsiders from being malicious.
If you don’t want everyone to see what you write, protect your tweets so that only your followers can see them. On desktop and smartphone, navigate to Settings & Privacy> Privacy & Security and check the box next to Protect your tweets.
From that moment on, tweets will not be visible to non-followers, will not appear in surveys and cannot be retweeted. A lock will appear next to your name and new followers will need to be approved by you.
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Disable Tweet location
We have the option to send tweets with location data attached. This feature can help users share where they’ve been and communicate with others in the same location. But as well-intentioned as location sharing might be, sharing your current location online can be dangerous for some. The good news is that Twitter allows them to disable this feature at any time.
On the desktop, navigate to Settings & Privacy> Privacy & Security> Location Information and uncheck Add location information to my Tweets. Here, they can also delete location data from previous tweets, but be aware that it may take a while for all tweets to be verified. On the smartphone, go to Settings & Privacy > Privacy & Security > Precise Location and turn it off.
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Photo tagging control
Twitter allows its users to identify each other in photos as another means of sharing experiences on the platform. But it’s already been misused by some to harass or spam others, so Twitter allows them to control who can tag you in photos.
navigate to Settings and privacy> Privacy and security> Photo tagging, lets you turn it off completely or choose who can tag it—Anyone can tag you in photos or Only the people you follow can tag you..
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Advertising and data tracking
While Twitter hasn’t been hit by the data-selling disputes Facebook has dealt with, the platform keeps track of activity to deliver personalized ads. If you want to protect your account and information, you can also control how Twitter handles and shares data.
navigate to Settings & Privacy> Privacy & Security> Personalization & Data. May disable personalized ads and personalization based on identity, location and device. They can also prevent Twitter from sharing the collected data with advertisers. Turn off all these features at once by turning the switch next to the Personalization & Data header.
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turn off the DMs
While Twitter is primarily a public messaging application, it also allows users to send private direct messages (DMs) to each other. In the beginning, DMs could only be exchanged between two people who followed. But in 2015, Twitter allowed people to open their DMs to anyone, which can be useful for some and dangerous for others.
Check the status of your DMs at Privacy and security> Direct messages to control who can send you messages. uncheck Receive messages from anyone to ensure that people who don’t follow cannot send a direct message. They can also turn on a quality filter to eliminate what Twitter considers Privacy & Security> Muted> Muted Words. Tap the plus sign (desktop) or the Add button (smartphone) to add a new word. From there, they can specify how long they want to silence: 24 hours, 7 days, 30 days or forever. Then, select where you want the word to be disabled – TimeLine, notifications or both – and whether you want to disable it for anyone or just for people you don’t follow. To remove a silenced word from your blocked list, tap it and select erase word (mobile) or click the mute speaker icon (desktop).
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lock and mute accounts
Blocking an account ensures that it will no longer appear on the TimeLine and prevents it from viewing your activity. Users know when they are blocked so some people prefer to be silent. When the user mutes an account, it removes its tweets from its feed. If they follow that account, they’ll see responses and mentions in their notifications; if you don’t follow them, they won’t show up.
There are two ways to block or silence. On the account’s profile page, select the three dot icon and choose Mute or Block. Or tap the down arrow on your feed and choose Mute or Block.
Review silenced accounts through Settings and privacy> Privacy and security> Muted> Accounts muted. Review blocked accounts via Settings and privacy> Privacy and security> Accounts blocked.
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Activate the quality filter
Twitter’s quality filter prevents them from seeing low-quality content, such as duplicate and automated tweets, to reduce spam. If you don’t want to go to the trouble of silencing and blocking words and accounts, this filter can help. Connect it via Settings & Privacy> Privacy & Security> Notifications and make sure the quality filter is turned on.
In Advanced Filters, you can choose to silence notifications from people: that the user doesn’t follow; who don’t follow you; with a new account; who has a default profile picture; who did not confirm the email; and who did not confirm the phone number. These options are intended to protect you from accounts used infrequently or anonymously to harass users.
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report accounts
If they think an account was abusive enough to warrant Twitter action, they can report it. As well as blocking and silencing, they can report an account on the profile page or directly in a tweet. Click the three dot icon on the account page and select information or open the dropdown menu on a specific tweet and select Report Tweet to tell Twitter why you find this content offensive and/or abusive.
Depending on the reasons provided, Twitter may give you the opportunity to add multiple tweets to a single report. But as simple as it may sound, Twitter doesn’t have the best track record of banning offending accounts.
