It’s probably not surprising that, according to the Pew Research Internet Project, 74 percent of adults who go online use social networking sites. With that many people connecting online, it’s also no surprise that while social networks offer a lot of good, they also have drawbacks.
People use social media for different reasons, but in general it’s a tool to connect and form communities with the millions of people surfing alongside you on the Web. This is especially true in the military community: Due to frequent moves and deployments, we use the Internet to stay connected with loved ones, friends, and professional acquaintances near and far.
Sadly, there are people out there using the Internet for other reasons — reasons that require everyone to be aware and stay smart on social. Below we have outlined simple steps you and your family can take to protect your privacy on each of the major social media networks.
Facebook privacy controls are extremely customizable. You can control how public or private your Facebook activities are, review posts and photos you’re tagged in before they appear on your timeline, determine whether you appear in Facebook search results, and more. Follow the steps below to adjust your privacy settings:
- Click the blue down arrow in the top-right corner of the Facebook page.
- Click “Settings.”
- Select “Privacy” in the left-hand navigation tab.
- From here, you can choose who can see your posts, contact you, and find you in search results. Choose from a wide range of options, allowing some items to be visible only, for example, to you, family members, friends, or people in your school network.
- If you click “Timeline and Tagging” below the “Privacy” option in the left-hand navigation tab, you can choose to review posts and pictures you’re tagged in before they appear on your timeline.
- If you click “Blocking” below the “Timeline and Tagging” option in the left-hand navigation tab, you can choose users, apps, pages, and more to block.
Helpful links:
- Basic privacy settings
- Sharing content
- Advanced privacy controls
- Data
- New York Times article, “Staying Private on the New Facebook”
Privacy settings on Twitter are less customizable than on Facebook. The two primary options you have are to protect your tweets or leave them public. Opting to protect your tweets allows you to control who can see your updates. Individuals who want to view your tweets will have to request to follow you, and you will have to grant approval. Protected tweets will not appear in Google or Twitter search results for users who have not been approved to follow you. In addition, no user will be able to retweet your tweets. You can also restrict photo tagging, manage location sharing, and adjust discoverability settings.
Follow the steps below to adjust your privacy settings:
- Log in to your Twitter account.
- Go to the security settings page.
- Check various boxes to manage your privacy settings as you wish.
- Save profile changes.
Helpful links:
Privacy settings on Instagram are similar to those on Twitter. The primary way to protect your posts is to set your account to private so that only users who have requested to follow you and whom you have approved can see your profile and feed. To do this, you must access the app from your mobile device; instructions on how to do so vary by phone provider.
Helpful links:
Google+
Much like Facebook, Google+ gives you many privacy options to manage who can view your profile and posts, and how much they can see. However, your name and profile photo are always public. Below are instructions and links that can help you adjust your profile’s privacy settings:
- Open Google+ and place your cursor in the top-left corner of the Google+ main menu.
- Click “Profile.”
- Click the “About” tab.
- Click the “Edit” link. There is an option to adjust the privacy settings of each section of your profile. From there, you will be able to determine who can see each bit of information, including the general public, only you, your circles, or a customized group of individuals.
You have the option when sharing posts to share them with the general public, specific circles, or certain individuals. Depending on what you’re sharing, you can make a judgment call as to how private or public to make that information.
Helpful links:
- Choosing who can see your Google+ profile
- Turning location reporting on or off
- Handling harassment or bullying
- Privacy resources
LinkedIn is an excellent tool for networking, job searching, and forming new connections with individuals in your industry, which means your account needs to be public so that potential employers and job scouts can find you. You can, however, take steps to protect your security, including not sharing information that could let others find out personal information, like where you live. If you want to adjust your privacy settings to limit your profile visibility, click here for instructions.
Finally, when you’re thinking of safety on social, remember that most platforms give you the option of tagging your location. There’s no harm in keeping this information private. If you want to learn more about safeguarding your online identity, leave a question or comment below.
