Your social media profiles are sharing your location, contacts, and activity. This guide shows you the 5 essential privacy settings to change NOW on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok to protect your data.
Right now, your social media accounts know more about you than your closest friends. They know where you live, where you work, who you talk to, and what you buy. But here’s the scary part: by default, a huge amount of that information is public, available to anyone who looks for it. Hackers, advertisers, data scrapers, and even stalkers can see things you never intended to share.
Your privacy is not a lost cause. You can take back control.
In this guide, we will walk you through the top 5 privacy settings you must change right now across your most-used apps like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and X (formerly Twitter). If you skip these, your personal data is wide open. Let’s lock it down.
1. Stop Sharing Your Precise Location
This is the most critical and invasive setting you need to change. When “Precise Location” is enabled, your apps aren’t just getting a general idea of your city; they are tracking your exact GPS coordinates within a few feet.
This is how strangers can figure out your home address from a geotagged photo and how you suddenly start seeing ads for the exact café you just walked past.
How to Fix It:
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On iPhone:
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Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Location Services.
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Find the social media app you want to adjust (e.g., Instagram).
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Ensure location access is set to “While Using the App” or “Never.”
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Most importantly, turn the toggle for “Precise Location” OFF.
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On Android:
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Go to Settings > Location > App permissions.
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Select the social media app (e.g., Facebook).
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Choose “Allow only while using the app.”
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Turn the toggle for “Use precise location” OFF.
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From now on, only you should know your exact movements.
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2. Hide Your Profile from Being Found by Strangers
Did you know that someone can find your entire Facebook or Instagram profile just by having your phone number or email address? This is a favorite tool of data scrapers and scam bots who use this feature to link your contact info to your public profile. You must turn this off.
How to Fix It:
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On Facebook:
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Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Audience and Visibility > How People Find and Contact You.
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Change “Who can look you up using the email address you provided?” to “Friends” or “Only Me.”
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Do the same for “Who can look you up using the phone number you provided?”
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Disable “Allow search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile.”
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On Instagram:
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Go to your Profile > Settings and privacy > Accounts Center > Your information and permissions.
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Select “Contact info” and review who can see your email and phone number. Limit this visibility.
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This single change stops random people and bots from connecting your private contact information to your public social life.
3. Control Who Can See Your Past and Future Posts
Every public post you’ve ever made is a goldmine for anyone trying to gather information on you. They don’t need to hack your account; they just need to scroll through your feed. Your birthday, your pet’s name, your mother’s maiden name, your vacation dates—these are all common security question answers that people unknowingly post publicly.
How to Fix It:
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On Facebook:
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Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Audience and Visibility > Posts.
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Change “Who can see your future posts?” to “Friends.”
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Crucially, find the option to “Limit Who Can See Past Posts” and activate it. This will automatically change the audience of all your old public posts to “Friends” in one click.
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On Instagram:
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The simplest and most effective step is to switch to a Private Account. Go to Settings and privacy > Account privacy and turn the toggle on. This means only your approved followers can see your content.
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On X (Twitter):
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Go to Settings and privacy > Privacy and safety > Audience and tagging.
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Enable the “Protect your posts” (formerly “Protect your Tweets”) option.
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4. Stop Apps from Tracking You Across the Entire Internet
This is one of the most powerful privacy settings on your phone. By default, apps like Facebook and TikTok have permission to track your activity after you leave their app. They follow you from website to website, collecting data on what you read, what you shop for, and what you search for, all to build a hyper-detailed advertising profile on you.
How to Fix It:
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On iPhone:
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Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Tracking.
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Turn the toggle for “Allow Apps to Request to Track” OFF.
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This single change prevents all apps from asking to track you, and for those you previously allowed, it revokes that permission.
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On Android:
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Go to Settings > Privacy > Ads.
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Tap on “Delete advertising ID.” This resets your ad profile and forces apps to start from scratch.
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Also, ensure you “Opt out of Ad Personalization” if the option is available on your device version.
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This cuts off the data firehose that social media apps use to follow you around the internet. Your social media profile is no longer for sale.
5. Enable a Stronger Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
Two-factor authentication is your last and most important line of defense. Even if a hacker steals your password, they cannot log into your account without your 2FA code. However, not all 2FA is created equal.
SMS-based 2FA is NOT secure. Hackers can use a technique called “SIM swapping” to trick your mobile carrier into transferring your phone number to their own device, allowing them to intercept your SMS codes. You must use an authenticator app.
How to Fix It:
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Go to the Security settings of your social media account (Facebook, Instagram, X, TikTok).
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Find the Two-Factor Authentication option.
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Choose to set it up using an Authenticator App.
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Download a free app like Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, or Authy.
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Scan the QR code provided by the social media site with your authenticator app to link the accounts.
From now on, your 2FA codes will be generated securely on your device, making it nearly impossible for a remote hacker to access your account.
Summary: You Are Now in Control
If you have changed all five of these settings, congratulations—you have just made your social media presence 90% more secure than the average user.
These companies make billions of dollars from your personal data, but that doesn’t mean you have to give it away for free. By taking these simple, proactive steps, you can take back control of your digital footprint.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)
Q1: Will making my accounts private hurt my growth as a creator?
A: It depends on your goals. For a personal Instagram or Facebook account, “Private” is the safest option. For a creator or business account that needs public visibility, you cannot go private. In that case, you must be extra vigilant about the other four settings and be mindful of what you post publicly.
Q2: What is the best authenticator app to use?
A: Google Authenticator, Microsoft Authenticator, and Authy are all excellent and highly secure options. Authy has the added benefit of cloud backups, so you can easily restore your 2FA codes if you get a new phone.
Q3: How often should I check these privacy settings?
A: It’s a good practice to do a full privacy audit of your social media accounts at least once every six months. Apps frequently update their settings and interfaces, and a new, invasive feature might be enabled by default after an update.
Q4: Will turning off ad tracking stop me from seeing ads?
A: No, you will still see the same number of ads. However, the ads you see will be generic and not hyper-targeted based on your browsing activity across the internet.
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