Data privacy is a huge issue as the Internet gathers more and more information about individuals and their activities online. This range of data can be anything from your name and social security number to how many minutes/hours of time you spend on a certain website. For some, the latter might be appealing because it can lead to targeted and personalized ads. Advertisers and businesses are particularly interested in this information so as to garner your interests and gear their product toward their target audience. When it comes to websites having access to your personal information, this can sometimes provide a more hassle-free experience, like when you save your credit card information on your favorite shopping site. You, however, may not wish for companies to know your interests, and you may not wish for any websites to know and save your personal information. In the realm of data privacy, there is a certain amount of control you have over who knows your information and what they can do with it once they have it. Cybersecurity, however, is another issue.

Cybersecurity focuses on threats such as scammers, hackers, and malware. For example, if a site you frequented were to be compromised, your personal data, whether freely given or not, could no longer be protected. This could lead to stolen identities and credit card fraud on a personal level, security threats and data breaches on a national level. Thankfully, there are protocols, policies, and software in place to protect against cybersecurity. This level of privacy and safety, though, needs to also be upheld on specific sites you are accessing. That is where we here at Tribel, the social media app rising in popularity, are ready to make sure your experience is as secure and safe as we can make it. 

When it comes to social media, privacy isn’t the first word that usually comes to mind. Thoughts, fears, locations, and friendships are shared post after post, letting virtual strangers know specific information about you. In some ways, this sharing of personal information can be dangerous. And in other ways, it can lead to lifelong friendships or a trip to a destination you never would have picked had you not seen the amazing picture someone took and posted to their feed. This sharing of personal information, however, is dependent on the user. To help minimize internal and external risks, Tribel puts customizations and policies in place, allowing users to decide how much of their information they want to share. Here are just a few ways Tribel focuses on your security and data privacy:

• You can manage your privacy settings. When creating your Tribel profile, you can choose who can post on your feed, who can send you messages, and who you want to block.
• You can post publicly or privately, therefore choosing who sees your posts and photos. Perhaps you don’t want everyone in your feed knowing about the vacation you’re currently taking or the pet you just adopted or the new baby you just welcomed into the world. Being able to select who views your posts provides privacy barriers for information you don’t want to share with your entire friends or followers feed.
• You must be a certain age. The Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act set the user age at 13. Because of this, all major social media platforms set their age restrictions at age 13. This includes Facebook, Instagram, X, and TikTok. Not only are those under the age of 13 unable to create a profile, but websites are prohibited from collecting information about and from them. Tribel is no different. A profile can be created if the user is 13 or older; if we find that a user is under that age and information has been collected, the latter is wiped from our servers and the account is removed. 

The ability to determine what information users share with others is a freedom that won’t be taken away. But it is Tribel’s mission to make sure our users’ future is secure and their privacy is safeguarded. IFor full transparency, those interested can read our full privacy policy that covers consent, cookies, information shared with 3rd parties, data we collect, and more. Just know, Tribel’s stance on cybersecurity and data privacy is in line with our social media mission: to create a safe environment where users have the freedom to be themselves, unhindered by internal or external threats.