Social Media Privacy Settings
What you share on social media can be used to guess your passwords and security answers, target you with scams, clone your voice, find your home or tell burglars you’re away. A few minutes with privacy settings, and a little thought before posting, reduces the risk a lot.
- Everyone
- Families
- Workers
Photo: social media privacy settings screen with “Friends only” selected
Check your settings
- Posts and photos visible to friends only, not the public
- Your friends or followers list hidden from the public
- Birthday, phone number, email and hometown hidden or removed
- Location sharing and photo location tags turned off
- Approval required before others can tag you
- Profile not searchable by phone number or email
- Old public posts reviewed and limited
- Two-factor authentication turned on. See Two-Factor Authentication
Most platforms have a “privacy checkup” tool that walks you through these settings. Run it once a year, because settings and apps change.
What scammers look for
- Pets’, children’s and parents’ names, schools and hometowns: common password and security question answers
- Your employer and coworkers, used for payroll, invoice and boss impersonation scams
- Videos with your voice, which can be cloned. See Phone Scams
- Family members’ names and photos for “grandparent” scams
Think before you post
- Post vacation photos after you get home, not while the house is empty.
- Don’t post photos of ID cards, badges, tickets, keys or anything with a barcode.
- Avoid “fun” quizzes that ask for your first car, mother’s maiden name or street you grew up on.
- Be careful posting jobsite photos: they can show safety violations, client information or security details. Follow your employer’s policy.
- Ask before posting photos of other people, especially children.
Friend requests and messages
- Ignore requests from strangers and from duplicate accounts of people you’re already friends with (a sign of a cloned account).
- Be wary of messages from “friends” asking for money, codes or to click a link. Check with them another way. See If an Account Is Hacked.
Standards & references
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