Privacy settings

Overview

Privacy settings (the controls for who can see what about you) are the features on social media and apps that control who can see your personal information and posts. They cover a wide range of items, such as "who can see your posts," "who can send you DMs," "whether you appear in search results," and "whether you share your location." The default settings are not necessarily the ones that protect your privacy the most.

Key settings to check

The first thing to check in your social media privacy settings is whether your account is public or private. With a public account, anyone, not just your followers, can view your posts. With a private (locked) account, only followers you have approved can see your posts. Even if you run your question box from a public account, it's safer to keep any secondary accounts private.

The next thing to check is your location settings. If the setting that automatically adds your location to posts is turned on, there is a risk that third parties could figure out your patterns of movement. The GPS information included in a photo's EXIF data carries the same risk. It's safer to turn off automatic location tagging and add your location by hand only when you need it.

Settings that are easy to overlook

Some social networks have a setting that "lets people find your account by email address or phone number." If this setting is on, someone who knows your email address can identify your social media account. If you want to stay anonymous, it's a good idea to turn it off.

"Activity status" (showing when you're online) is also easy to overlook. On Instagram and Facebook, the times you're using the app may be shown to other users. It can let people guess your daily routine, so turn it off if you don't need it. You'll also want to check your ad personalization settings.

Why regular reviews matter

Privacy settings aren't something you set once and forget. Social networks add new features and settings in their updates. If you make a habit of checking each social network's privacy settings screen from top to bottom about once every six months, you can reduce unintended sharing of your information.

You especially need to be careful when new features are added. Some new features may make your information public without you noticing. You'll feel more at ease if you get in the habit of checking your settings screen whenever you get a social media update notice.