Privacy Settings in Social Media — What You Should Change Right Now
Social media platforms default to maximum visibility because it serves their business model, not your safety. Your profile, posts, friends list, and location may be visible to everyone unless you actively change it. Go through privacy settings on every platform you use and switch everything to the most restrictive option that still works for you. Limit who can see your posts, who can find you by phone number or email, and who can send you messages.
Disable location tagging on posts. Turn off activity status that shows when you are online. Review which third-party apps have access to your account and revoke the ones you no longer use. These settings change frequently, so revisit them every few months. The five minutes you spend now prevent strangers from knowing far more about you than you realize.
Living experience
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Downloaded my Facebook data archive out of curiosity — the file was 4.2 GB and included every message I'd sent since 2009, every ad I'd ever clicked, and a list of my inferred interests that was uncomfortably accurate. That afternoon I turned off ad personalization across every platform I use.