Privacy › Module 4 › Lesson 1
Social Media Privacy Settings
Lock down profiles, audiences, and sharing defaults on social platforms
Opening
Social media is public by default on many platforms
Posts, tags, friend lists, and reactions build a detailed picture of your life. Platforms optimize for sharing—not privacy. A single public photo or comment can be copied, indexed, and used years later. Treat every platform as a billboard unless you prove otherwise in settings.
1. Profile and Audience Settings
Default post audience
Set new posts to friends or followers only—not Public—unless you are a public figure by choice.
Friend list visibility
Hide friend lists when possible. Attackers use them for impersonation and spear phishing.
Profile fields
Remove or limit birth year, phone number, hometown, and workplace on public view.
Tag review
Enable approval before tagged photos appear on your timeline.
2. Location, Stories, and Metadata
Stories and live location features reveal where you are in real time. Turn off precise location for the camera app and social apps unless needed. Geotags on posts advertise when you are away from home. Photo metadata (EXIF) can include GPS coordinates—covered in the next lessons on data brokers and EXIF.
3. Third-Party Apps and Logins
Review connected apps in Facebook, Google, X, and similar settings. Remove quiz apps, old games, and unknown OAuth grants. Each connection may read profile data or post on your behalf. Prefer email plus password or passkeys over “Sign in with Facebook” on unrelated sites to limit cross-platform tracking.
The yearly social audit
Once a year, walk through privacy settings on every platform you still use. Screenshots disappear—settings change with updates.
Knowledge Check
A safer default for new social posts is:
Multiple choice
Knowledge Check
Hiding your friend list helps reduce:
Multiple choice
Knowledge Check
True or False: You should periodically review third-party apps connected to your social accounts.
True or False