Social media platforms are much more than just apps; they are digital extensions of our identity. Most of us use social media platforms to share milestones, network with professionals, and socialise with our friends and family, due to which these platforms have woven themselves into nearly every aspect of our modern life. As useful as social platforms are, there are risks tied to privacy associated with them.
Hackers and malicious actors are always on the lookout to steal personal information from users, which is why you should be vigilant and protect your privacy. Protecting your privacy isn’t just about staying invisible; it is about staying in control of what you share, how you share it, and whom you share it with. Let us discuss how you can protect your privacy on social media while still enjoying its benefits.
Understand What You’re Sharing
Before you can focus on protecting your privacy, you need to be aware of what you are putting out there on social media. Every post, like, or comment builds a social profile of who you are. Many users make the mistake of unknowingly sharing information on social media that can be used to track their habits or guess their passwords. Moreover, sharing frequent check-ins or your daily schedule can reveal your routines.
Audit your behaviour online and analyse the information that you have shared on the internet. Oversharing can open doors for identity theft without you realizing it.
Review and Adjust Privacy Settings
Every social media platform has its own privacy policies and settings that it frequently updates, sometimes without notifying users. These updates can reset or change how information is shared on the platform. To stay vigilant, you should regularly review your privacy settings to ensure that you know what is being shared and you remain in control.
Adjust privacy settings like who can view your posts, tag you in content, or search for your profile, as this can limit your social exposure and visibility on social platforms. The benefit of adjusting privacy settings is that the less public your data is, the harder it is for it to be misused.
Be Selective with Friend Requests and Followers
It can be quite tempting to accept every friend request or follow request, or follow back anyone who connects, but sometimes being too open can invite trouble. Fake accounts, bots, and scammers often use social networks to collect personal information. Instead of being open to every friend and follow requests, be selective and prioritise quality over quantity.
Before you accept a new connection or request, review their profile carefully by checking for their display picture, mutual friends, and activity on social media. Avoid profiles that have generic bios or no posts. If someone seems overly eager to connect without context, trust your instincts and decline.
Avoid Sharing Location
Another mistake that you should avoid on social media is not sharing your location. Tagging your favourite café or sharing travel moments might feel fun, but this can broadcast your location to the public, and this information can then be used to track your movements. Unless it is absolutely necessary, disable location tagging and avoid sharing your location in real time.
In case you want to share your vacation or trip photos, post them after you have returned home. Adjust your location permission for individual apps, especially social apps, so that your chances of being digitally followed are minimized.
Use a Private and Anonymous Social Platform
If you are very mindful and conscious about your privacy on social media, you should consider using anonymous social platforms like Omegle. Omegle is a free-to-use social platform where you can socialise with people from around the world without signing up or entering any personal information. For people who want to avoid sharing identifiable information on the internet, social platforms like Omegle are very good for socializing and maintaining their privacy.
Be Mindful of What Others Post About You
Your privacy on social media platforms isn’t entirely in your own hands because your friends or colleagues might post photos, tag you in events, or share details about you without realizing the consequences. To minimise this, adjust your tagging settings so that you can review posts before they appear on your timeline and ask your friends to avoid sharing sensitive and personal information so that you can maintain a safe online space.
