Social media allows users to connect with their colleagues, friends, and family. You can use platforms such as Facebook and Twitter to share photos, videos, or random thoughts. Not only that, but you can also connect with your business contacts on professional networking websites such as LinkedIn. However, sharing too much information can compromise your privacy on such networks. Many users as well as third-party tools may attempt to gather and misuse your information. Therefore, it is necessary to protect it.
There are settings that you can adjust to protect your privacy online. If you use streaming services instead of cable services like Cox cable, you may have come across clickbait scams. You may also have received location-based event recommendations (your social network has access to location information). Read this blog to remain safe by following safety practices and adjusting your privacy settings.
Disable Your Activity Status
Many social websites and applications show if you’re online, busy, away, or offline. If such settings are on, your social contacts will be able to see your activity status. If you want to maintain a low profile, turn these settings off.
Take Instagram, for example. People you follow or send direct messages to can see your activity status. They can also see the last time you were online. If you want to turn these settings off, simply to go the profile tab and press the menu button. Scroll down and find “activity status”. Now, turn it off. Do note that once you turn these settings off, you will not be able to see the activity status of others either. However, you will be better able to protect your privacy.
Keep Read Receipts Off
You can protect your privacy on apps such as Messenger and WhatsApp by turning the read receipts feature off. This setting allows users to see if the recipient has seen their message or not. . Simply go to the “Settings” on WhatsApp and access “Accounts”. Next, head to privacy and turn off “Read receipts”.
You may have seen the double ticks appear (in black color) on WhatsApp when a user receives your messages. If read receipts are on, their color will change to blue once they open your chat. Once you receive a message from them and read it, the black ticks they see will also change to blue. You can turn the read receipts off on Twitter as well, after which the ticks will remain black for users even when you read their message. Similarly, when they read your messages, they will still remain black.
Turn Off Location Sharing
Many social media websites use location information to suggest nearby events. They may use it to provide your personalized content. However, the network may also share it with third-party apps. You can turn these settings off. On Snapchat, for instance, you can turn Ghost Mode on by accessing “See my location” once you click on your Bitmoji icon. Once you do this, others won’t be able to see your location. However, you will still see where they are if their location settings are on.
Post to Selected Audience
Your posts on social media websites may be visible to everyone, even to people who are not part of your contacts list. However, you can adjust the settings to limit the type of audiences who can see your posts. For example, if you are a user on Facebook, you can do this quite easily. Start creating a post. Click on the audience selector button below your name. Next, choose from a number of options such as Public, Friends, or Specific Friends. Only the type of audience you select will be able to see and interact with your post.
Don’t Click Suspicious Links
Many social media platforms have third-party app integrations. You may be able to play games on Facebook. However, these apps and games may come with ads and external URLs. Avoid clicking on them as these may be scam attempts to gain access to your personal information. They can sell your information to companies for marketing purposes or something worse, like a possible ransomware attempt.
These are some of the best ways to protect your privacy on social networks. Keep your personal information safe to avoid falling prey to online scams, ransomware, and cyberattacks.
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