Tag Archives: privacy settings

Improve Your Privacy on Social Media: Top Mistakes to Avoid

Who isn’t on social media these days? 60% of the global population and 93% of all internet users use social media apps. You may have never imagined your grandma would get decorating ideas before you do on Pinterest, but it’s happened.

It’s given us unparalleled opportunities to stay connected but it’s also made maintaining our online privacy a bit complicated.

We grew up with cautionary tales of how famous people like Michael Jackson, Elvis, and Marilyn Monroe were driven to the edge by the loss of their privacy. Of course, we never thought normal people would face the same challenges on a smaller scale.

Most people who are doing something enterprising or of public interest need to market themselves, whether they’re entrepreneurs, politicians, musicians, or authors. If you want to succeed, it’s part of the game. But that doesn’t mean you can’t keep your private life private.

Here are key privacy mistakes that can be easy to make on social media. Do your best to avoid them and sleep soundly knowing you’ve done your part.

You reveal personally identifiable information

Many mistakenly believe that because they don’t have a high profile on social media, have low income, or have bad credit, identity theft isn’t something to be concerned about. It is!

Today’s bad guys are organized, savvy, and they’ve got incredible tech at their disposal. You might not think it’s a big deal to reveal your email address, your username, or another small piece of information that’s associated with your identity. Remember that criminals can potentially build databases to piece together information over time.

Generally, avoid posting documents issued to you by governments, institutions, or businesses online. Leaking small pieces of personal data such as account numbers, or even your mailing address can come back to haunt you one day and it’s commonly done. In fact, according to a study by Experian, Americans have posted an average of 3.4 pieces of sensitive information online.

You overshare about personal events

Oversharing can mean many things. It can mean getting into an emotionally-charged state and posting about one’s personal drama. It can mean talking poorly about your ex or your former employer and getting into detail about past experiences.

It’s a tougher issue than it might seem because we bond with others by sharing things about ourselves, including our vulnerabilities.

If you post regularly on social media you have to reflect and be honest with yourself. Determine which parts of your life you’re comfortable with being public knowledge and which parts you prefer to keep private. Once the cat’s out of the bag there’s no going back.

Some people are proficient at discovering dirt about people and then spreading gossip. That’s not something you have control of, but don’t make it easy for them by creating a record that can be repurposed as ammunition.

Remember that many are generally unsympathetic to the problems of others. Tell the few you most trust your personal news to get it off your chest and leave it at that.

You reveal your exact location

Geotagging is incredible from a technological perspective. People who are interested in the happenings in an area can tap on the location and see related posts. Thus, it adds to the discoverability of your content.

If overused, geotagging gives people a way to track your activities. More and more it’s being used with precision so that people know which neighbourhood you’re in, right down to the restaurant you’re dining at.

Use geotagging judiciously. You can flex some by letting your followers know you’re visiting New York City without naming the bagel shop.

You post photos of your children publicly

The average parent posts nearly 1,500 pictures of their child online before age five according to a study by Nominet.

Parents are proud of their kids. They’re a huge part of their world, and that’s wonderful. However, sometimes we have to remind ourselves that Instagram isn’t a family photo album.

Ever heard the term “sharenting?” It’s when parents publicize personal information about their child online. People wouldn’t imagine sharing detailed private information about their friends online, but “sharenting” is incredibly common. And it’s usually done without permission by the child.

Many parents don’t think about it, but a photo or video that is funny or cute might not be seen the same in the future. At best, it will be slightly embarrassing to your child. At worst, it could negatively impact their reputation later in life.

When we post content publicly, we create a record that can be accessed by people with bad intentions and by automated technologies. It opens your child up to risks such as facial recognition tracking, online security threats, and worse.

You accept friend requests from strangers

Bots and people who are pretending to be someone else (aka catfish) are incredibly common on social media.

Platforms like Facebook give you the opportunity to approve or deny friend requests. Not much good can come of adding someone you don’t recognize. Adding them could expose you and your friends to online security threats, scams, surveillance, and misleading information.

You share information about people without their permission

Social media tends to polarize people these days. One camp believes in the power of personal branding. Their careers depend on putting themselves out there online. The other camp is known to launch into rants about how social media is destroying the fabric of society.

There are a million and one reasons someone wouldn’t want you to post a group shot with them in it on social media. It’s best to never make assumptions. Let people know if you plan to post something about them online so they can opt out.

Posting photos or information about people could have ramifications for them you didn’t consider, whether it’s at their job or in their marriage. It might not strike you as fair or reasonable but you don’t want to be blamed for sparking a conflict.

You don’t use audience selection features

Want to share a story about your career journey but don’t want your ex-employer to see it? Some social media content falls into a gray area in terms of privacy decisions. Luckily, there’s a middle ground in-between public and private posts.

Apps like Facebook and Instagram allow you to create lists of people and deliver content to that audience only. Sometimes you can exclude people or a list of people from seeing a post or story as well.

For example, Instagram allows you to make a “Close Friends” list. And on Facebook, you can add people to your list of “Acquaintances.”

You don’t remove bots and fake accounts that follow you

On Platforms like Facebook and LinkedIn housecleaning your list of connections is easy because both sides have to agree to connect out of the gate.

It’s trickier to manage your followers on apps like Instagram and TikTok when you have a public account. It’s an ongoing process.

Every now and again, check your follower list and remove suspicious accounts. With practice, you’ll see patterns and it’ll be easy to spot certain types of fake accounts and scammers. In many cases, it won’t be clear what their objective is. But if there are clues that it isn’t a real person, it’s best to remove them rather than ignore them.

You don’t manage your tagged photos

Social media apps don’t have many restrictions when it comes to who can tag you in photos. In fact, on apps like Instagram spammers will tag you just so you’ll look at their post. And no, the image never has anything to do with you.

When potential employers or potential dates start digging through your profile, tagged photos are the first things they look at.

There are bound to be photos you’re tagged in that don’t send the right message. Take the time to check it every now and again, and remove your tag from the not-so-flattering shots, or the photos that reveal personal information you’re not comfortable with sharing with everyone.

You take questionable online quizzes

Facebook quizzes were huge back in the early days of the platform. People installed apps just to find out which character they are in Friends.

Quizzes seem like a fun and harmless way to share your personality traits with your friends. The problem is that the people who complete them usually don’t know who’s gathering their data and for what purpose.

If you think about it, quizzes are the perfect way for shady developers to extract data from people such as their name, birthdate, and other personal information. It doesn’t seem like much of a threat until you consider it can be pieced together and used for nefarious purposes.

You don’t use privacy settings and features

Every major platform has privacy features, and they usually go way beyond the ability to make your account private.

From hiding Likes on your post to limiting commenting to people you follow, social media apps allow you to use a lot of nuance when it comes to privacy. Experiment so that you’re confident in deploying privacy features when they’re most needed.

One of the key areas to investigate is the permissions the app has to access the data on your phone. Check its level of access to your photos, videos, location data, your mic, etc.

Location, camera, and microphone permissions can be set to “All the time,” “Allow only while using the app,” “Ask every time,” or “Don’t allow” on Android. There are no right or wrong answers here except that it makes sense to have stricter privacy settings on features you rarely use or don’t use.

Blocking access can break functionality in the app. So, test it before deciding how to approach your permission settings.

Conclusion

Let’s be clear, social media has plenty of benefits. Your online privacy is important but so is connecting with other amazing humans.

The key is to remind yourself of these privacy pitfalls before you hit the post button. Sometimes it’s easy to get caught up in the moment and reveal too much.

I hope you leave this article with some takeaways that will make your online journey a bit smoother. Stay safe!

Is Your Data Safe with TikTok? Let’s Look at the Facts!

Talk of a ban on TikTok in the US started when former president Donald Trump started looking into the app’s data security in 2020. More recently, the Biden administration got involved by pressing the Chinese company ByteDance to sell it or possibly face a ban in the US.

Understandably all the headlines have got many TikTok users concerned if it’s worth it to keep the app installed considering the controversy about its data security policies and how it uses private data.

Most notably people are concerned about third parties TikTok is sharing its data with. There’s no way of verifying every third party TikTok sends data to and although the company has addressed people’s concerns the skepticism remains.

So, is there evidence to back up the commotion? What are the facts? Independent companies are starting to research how TikTok handles private data in the real world.

Study by URL Genius

A recent study found that TikTok collects more private data than most social media apps – and the difference is quite dramatic.

URL Genius measured the number of times popular apps made network contacts. Then they found how many of those can be traced back to first-party domains and how many are sending data to third parties.

Tests by mobile marketing company URL Genius determined that TikTok and YouTube led the pack when it comes to gathering data about its users and tracking their activity. At least they are when it comes to the numbers.

YouTube and TikTok made 14 network contacts each during their tests. That’s more than double the average of 6 network contacts. After delving deeper into which are first-party trackers and which are third-party, the results became much different.

It should be no surprise that companies like Meta and ByteDance collect data so their apps can show users the most relevant content and ads. It’s the data being sent to third parties most people want to know about yet this is the part that’s clouded in mystery.

Ten of YouTube’s trackers were first-party, which means the user data was being collected for their own purposes. The remaining four network contacts were from third-parties. So, while Google’s overall number was high at least we know where most of that data goes.

With TikTok it wasn’t clear where personal data was going and how it was being used. 13 of the 14 network contacts were from third parties.

TikTok has clarified by telling CNBC all of those network contacts can be traced back to just four third-party domains. Additionally, they said it was necessary for functions such as network security and user certification. Included in the list of third-parties are Google, Apple, Snap, and AppsFlyer, a marketing analytics company that measures the performance of ad campaigns on TikTok.

Wired Probes TikTok’s Tracking

Wired UK published a guide that explains what TikTok is tracking in plain English and how to stop its data collection.

According to their findings, TikTok can gather information even if you haven’t signed up via cookies and other trackers. And after you’ve created an account it starts tracking your activities such as videos you’ve watched, how long you watched them, internet searches, and the content in your messages.

TikTok also tracks your interactions with advertisers. It works out demographic data such as your age bracket, gender, and your interests. Advertising is one of the key reasons for TikTok’s data collection just like any other social media app. The more the app knows about its users the better it can serve them relevant ads and content they’ll enjoy.

Ever wonder how TikTok knew visiting Japan is on your bucket list, or that you’re renovating your kitchen?

TikTok’s algorithm depends on its multifaceted data collection to work. That’s how it shows you videos on your personalized For You Page that can be surprising in terms of how timely and relevant to your interests it is.

Wired went as far as to say “TikTok can tell if you find a video funny and why, if you’re interested in sports or music, whether you’re religious, into politics or concerned about specific causes. It also knows if you’ve been feeling down lately.”

How to Protect Your Privacy on TikTok

Although much of TikTok’s data collection is necessary for the functionality of the app, there are steps you can take to eliminate sharing personal info that isn’t essential.

TikTok is always evolving and its settings are no exception. It was previously possible to turn off ‘Personalized Ads’ but this feature has been removed.

Tap on the hamburger menu and select ‘Settings and privacy.’ Next, tap on ‘Privacy.’ Here you may opt to make your account private and control whether your followers can see your activity status or not.

It’s recommended that you never allow TikTok to gain access to your contacts or Facebook friends. If you’ve already granted TikTok access to this you can remove the data from their servers by accessing ‘Sync contacts and Facebook friends’ under the ‘Privacy’ menu.

For many users, it’s totally unnecessary for TikTok to track your location. Tap on ‘Location Services’ to remove TikTok’s access to your location via device settings. Additionally, you can delete your location history here.

Users that want to create a backup or plan to delete TikTok may want to download their data from the app. Go to ‘Settings and privacy’ and tap on ‘Account.‘ Next tap ‘Download your data.’

Level Up Your Privacy with a VPN

Experts suggest using a VPN with TikTok to truly regain your privacy.

What’s a VPN? It’s a virtual private server. Essentially it creates an additional layer of privacy and security between your internet connection and the apps and websites you visit. VPNs allow you to choose an IP address so your actual IP is hidden. It makes it impractical for apps like TikTok to track you in many cases.

Check out LetMeBy’s reviews of the top 3 VPNs to view the best services out there. Generally, these are the most recommended VPNs here:

The Verdict

TikTok is an incredibly engaging and entertaining app. However, it’s best to be aware of the privacy implications associated with using it.

According to independent studies, TikTok makes more network contacts than the average social media app. Its privacy settings don’t offer users much control either. If you’ve thought about using a VPN with your social media apps, TikTok provides a compelling reason to take the plunge.

Protect Your Privacy on Xbox Series X/S – Settings to Change

Online privacy is officially a big deal for console gamers. The ninth generation of game consoles offer immersive social experiences. And to deliver them the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S are intended to be connected to the internet nearly all the time.

Microsoft, Sony, and their developers are always looking for methods to improve their software and products. And tracking the activity of their users is an important way they get feedback.

The trend has been for companies to not hold back in terms of collecting user data and sharing it with their partners such as advertisers. But the good news is that’s only the default. They also give their customers the ability to control which data is collected, and which isn’t. People that take the time to change their privacy settings are rewarded with greater anonymity as well as peace of mind knowing their actions are not being tracked.

One step Microsoft took in respecting its customers’ online privacy is the removal of technology that gathers voice data. Before the release of Xbox Series X/S in 2020 the company updated its privacy policy and announced it would no longer collect voice search or speech-to-text data on users. In contrast, the PS5 collects voice data by default and it can be turned off in the privacy settings.

Xbox users have the option of changing their privacy settings either on the console or through the web.

Ready to boost your privacy on Xbox Series X and S? Let’s get started!

Where to Change Your Privacy Setting on Xbox Series X/S

Xbox Series X and S offer a comprehensive list of privacy features ranging from presets for families to controlling the information other Xbox Live users can see about you.

To access your Xbox’s privacy features, press the Xbox button and then select Profile & System > Settings > Account > Xbox Live Privacy > Privacy & Online Safety.

General Privacy Settings for Families

One of the first things you’ll notice in the Xbox’s privacy settings are the defaults for children, teens, and adults. This approach makes it easy for parents to manage the accounts of each of their family members.

Child: These defaults are intended for young children and it has the highest level of privacy. Children can download free content such as games, videos, music, and apps. They need permission from an adult to add friends. They’re only able to communicate with approved friends and their name Is hidden. Even friends can only see their display name.

Teen: The Teen defaults are less restrictive than Child in terms of socializing. They’re still limited to downloading free content only. They’re given more freedom to connect with people (and to be connected with). Friends can see when they’re online and view their profile.

Adult: As you’d expect Adult has few restrictions. You can download whatever you like. And your activity is shared and visible to your friends.

Exploring Xbox’s Privacy Options

The privacy defaults give you a good starting point. From there you can drill down into the options and make additional tweaks if you desire.

For example, by going to Profile & System > Settings > Account > Privacy & Online Safety > Message Safety, you can specify who can contact you and through which channels of communication. These settings can be adjusted for voice, text, and messages.

If there are people on your friends list you don’t want to share everything with, Xbox allows you to manage this. You can determine which friends can see your real name, as well as who can comment on your activity feed. To change your feed settings, go to Settings > General > Online Safety & Family.

Finally, you’ll want to check which social media accounts your Xbox is connected to. Just hop onto Settings, then Account. It’s recommended that you disconnect any apps you haven’t used in the past six months.

Turning Off Data Collection

Microsoft’s announcement that it would no longer be collecting voice data from its users was a breath of fresh air.

They do still collect diagnostic and usage data about your console. This means Microsoft tracks the apps and features you use. Data collection is also used for error reporting, “to help improve console performance, troubleshooting, and more,” as they put it.

For online privacy aficionados, blocking data collection is one first things to do when they get a new console. While most of the Xbox’s privacy settings relate to how you share information with other users, this is a key option that stops Microsoft from tracking your activity.

Go to Privacy & Online Safety and then Data Collection. From here you can select ‘Block’ from the dropdown menu.

It’s also likely that Microsoft collects data related to their mailing list such as if their emails were opened, read, deleted, etc. If you’re not that interested in keeping up with Microsoft’s offers you’ll want to head to ‘Contact Preferences’ and remove yourself from their mailing list.

Boost Your Online Privacy with a VPN

Want to enjoy gaming with the highest level of privacy? Consider using a VPN.

So, what’s a VPN? It’s short for virtual private network. Essentially, it’s an encrypted tunnel that goes between your Xbox and the internet.

Companies and individuals can find out a lot about you such as your location when they have access to your IP address. VPNs replace your IP with a different IP that’s associated with any location you choose. It allows you to take your online privacy into your own hands rather than hoping for the best with privacy settings.

To learn about how to use a VPN with the Xbox Series X/S, check out this guide. And if you’re starting your research about VPN services visit LetMeBy’s reviews of the top choices.

Verdict

Unlike Sony’s PS5 the Xbox Series X/S doesn’t give you a list of options to configure in terms of data that is sent back to Microsoft. That’s good and more straightforward! All data collection can either be turned on or off.

Xbox shines at giving you many privacy options so you can control who sees your real name, your feed, who can contact you, etc. You’ll feel good about hopping on Xbox Live knowing your account can be as public or private as you like by tweaking the settings.

Protect Your Privacy on PS5 – Settings to Change

Many are acutely aware of privacy catches associated with social media apps but neglect to consider their online privacy on game consoles.

With the PS5’s fun multiplayer experiences, stunning 4K visuals, and ray tracing, privacy isn’t usually top of mind. But it only takes one quick trip to its privacy settings to recognize it’s worth looking at and tweaking.

Unlike the PS4 that came before it, the PS5 has a mic built right into its DualSense controller. That means privacy is officially a big deal on Sony consoles. What you blurt out can potentially be captured and used as a key data point by the company. In fact, it’s recently been confirmed that the PS5’s controller automatically records anything you say after unlocking a trophy.

Sony is also collecting other user behavior data such as the games you play, plus audio and video content you stream. Other data such as time spent in games, upload and download speed, and game libraries are also being uploaded to Sony’s servers and analyzed.

It’s unlikely they’re spying on gamers. Rather the data is used to improve Sony’s software and products. Regardless, if the idea of your every action being tracked bothers you there are steps you can take to regain your privacy.

1. Limit Data Sent Back to Sony

To get started, launch your PS5 and drill down into the privacy settings:

Settings > Users and Accounts > Privacy > Data You Provide

For the PS5 to function correctly it needs to collect some data. However, you’re free to turn off sharing of your behavioral data. Thus, Sony gives users two options:

Full – Share behavioral data to help us continually improve and personalize your experience.

Limited – Share only data necessary to maintain and operate core PlayStation features and services.

Select ‘Limited’ for greater privacy.

Next, scroll down to see other data Sony is collecting and to access additional privacy settings.

2. Turn Off Voice Data Collection

You can also disable voice data collection without affecting the PS5 DualSense controller’s ability to accept voice commands.

There’s no way of knowing what Sony is doing with the various voice recordings it collects or the extent of what is being captured. Sony has said they don’t record audio used in voice chats. No statements have been made about audio within videos. And what about things you say when you think your mic is off, but it isn’t?

Access the following menus to turn off voice data collection:

Settings > Users and Accounts > Privacy > Voice Data Collection

Once again there are two options. And it’s super straightforward.

Allow – Use your voice data to improve voice features.

Don’t Allow – Don’t use your voice to improve voice features.

Select ‘Don’t Allow’ so Sony can’t potentially collect private statements or your conversations.

3. Turn Off the PS5’s Mic Entirely

Do you rarely use the PS5’s mic and voice command features? If that’s the case you may want to set up your PS5 so the mic is off when you’re logged in, or manually turn off the DualSense controller’s mic when it isn’t needed.

To manually turn off your mic, tap the ‘Mute’ button located under the PS button on your controller. If the button is lit up orange that means the mic is off. Additionally, you’ll also briefly see a mute notification icon appear in the top right corner of your screen.

A bit on the forgetful side when it comes to details? Keep your mic turned off by default when you power up your console. Go here:

Settings > Sound > Microphone > Microphone Status When Logged In

Move down to ‘Microphone Status When Logged In’ and choose ‘Off.’

4. Don’t Include Mic Audio in Video Recordings

Many gamers like to include ad-libs and commentary in their gaming videos. If you’re the type that’s only interested in capturing gameplay there’s no need to capture audio with your mic. Go here:

Settings > Captures and Broadcasts > Video Clip Format > Include Your Mic’s Audio

Turn off ‘Include Your Mic’s Audio’ so speech and background noise aren’t captured in your videos.

5. Switch Off Video Recordings When Trophies Are Unlocked

Ah, that moment of glory when you unlock a hard-to-achieve trophy. The PS5 records a short video to commemorate the moment along with audio from your mic.

It’s a fun feature but it also has privacy implications. Voice data associated with this feature is sent to Sony. The videos also take up plenty of hard drive space, particularly if they’re being recorded in 4K.

If trophy videos don’t interest you, disable them here:

Settings > Captures and Broadcasts > Trophies > Save Trophy Videos

Recommended: Gain Better Privacy by Using a VPN

If you want your online privacy to be the best it can be on the PlayStation Network, you’ll want to consider using a VPN.

A virtual private network, or VPN for short, is an encrypted tunnel that goes between your PS5 and the internet. It hides your true IP address and location and replaces it with an IP associated with the country of your choice.

VPNs protect you from malicious users on the PlayStation Network. It also gives gamers greater anonymity. VPNs can prevent companies and third parties from collecting data about you. And if they do manage to collect your data the VPN makes it impractical for them to associate the data with your true identity.

The PS5’s operating system has advanced settings that make it straightforward to leverage a VPN service. Check out LetMeBy’s full guide to using your PS5 with a VPN.

Verdict

It’s time to take privacy seriously on game consoles like PS5. By default, your activity is tracked but thankfully Sony has made it fairly simple to opt-out of this within your ‘Settings.’

The fact that Sony gathers voice data from PS5 gamers is particularly alarming. Their DualSense controller has a mic built-in and that’s easy to forget if you don’t use the mic often. Thus, out of everything covered here, it’s important that you turn off ‘Voice Data Collection.’ Regardless of what Sony is doing with the voice data, the fewer devices that are listening for long stretches of time in your home the better.