Platform-specific checklists for optimizing privacy settings on Instagram, TikTok, Snapchat, and other popular social platforms
Social media platforms constantly update their privacy settings, making it challenging to stay on top of the latest ways to protect your information. This guide provides step-by-step instructions for securing accounts on the most popular platforms.
For each platform, we provide:
We recommend reviewing these settings every 3-6 months, as platforms frequently update their privacy options and interfaces.
Instagram (owned by Meta) collects extensive data including location, device information, browsing history across platforms, and interaction patterns. It uses this data for ad targeting and shares it with third parties.
Switch your account to private so only approved followers can see your posts and stories.
Control who can tag you, mention you, or add you to posts.
Limit who can send you direct messages to avoid unwanted contacts.
Prevent others from seeing when you're active on Instagram.
Create a trusted group for sharing more personal content.
Restrict how Instagram uses your data to personalize ads.
Prevent Instagram from tracking your exact location.
Check for any suspicious logins to your account.
TikTok collects extensive data including biometric information, search history, location data, and device information. Its connections to foreign entities have raised additional privacy concerns.
Make your account private so only approved followers can see your content.
Prevent TikTok from recommending your account to people who might know you.
Limit who can comment on your videos or turn off comments entirely.
Control who can send you direct messages.
Prevent others from downloading your videos.
Link your TikTok account to your child's for increased supervision.
Limit ad targeting based on your data.
Limit the data TikTok collects about your activities.
Snapchat collects location data, usage information, and camera data. While messages "disappear," they can be saved and screenshots can be taken despite notifications.
Limit who can contact you to only people you've added as friends.
Control who can view your Stories content.
Turn off Snap Map to avoid sharing your location.
Limit who can see your Snapchat profile information.
Add an extra layer of security to your account login.
Regularly clear your conversation history for extra privacy.
Limit personalized advertising based on your data.
Check if your account has been accessed from unfamiliar devices.
YouTube (owned by Google) tracks viewing history, search history, and device information extensively. It uses this data for recommendations and ad targeting.
Stop YouTube from recording videos you watch.
Stop YouTube from recording your search terms.
If you upload content, set it to private or unlisted by default.
Prevent others from seeing which channels you subscribe to.
Limit how your data is used for ad targeting.
Delete your entire YouTube viewing history.
Filter out potentially mature content (good for younger users).
Set YouTube to automatically delete your activity after a certain period.