{"id":14045,"date":"2026-11-03T01:37:19","date_gmt":"2026-11-03T05:37:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/social-media-privacy-settings-that-actually-matter-your-checklist\/"},"modified":"2026-11-03T01:37:19","modified_gmt":"2026-11-03T05:37:19","slug":"social-media-privacy-settings-that-actually-matter-your-checklist","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/social-media-privacy-settings-that-actually-matter-your-checklist\/","title":{"rendered":"Social Media Privacy Settings That Actually Matter: Your Checklist"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <a href=\"https:\/\/hop.clickbank.net\/?affiliate=infohatch&amp;vendor=J1R2C\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10614 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/profit-gen400px.png\" alt=\"Profit Gen\" width=\"400\" height=\"217\" srcset=\"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/profit-gen400px.png 400w, https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/profit-gen400px-300x163.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<p>Somewhere in your Facebook settings right now, there\u2019s a toggle that lets search engines link to your profile. It\u2019s probably on. You\u2019ve never touched it \u2014 and neither has almost anyone else. That\u2019s kind of the point.<\/p>\n<p>Social media privacy settings aren\u2019t just about keeping your posts away from your boss. They control what gets handed to advertisers, data brokers, strangers, and that quiz app you logged into once in 2018. Here\u2019s what actually matters \u2014 and a checklist you can run through in under 20 minutes.<\/p>\n<h2>The Privacy Audit Most People Skip<\/h2>\n<figure><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dumblittleman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/social-media-privacy-settings-body-1.jpg.webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Interracial couple in bed at night using smartphones, illuminated by screen glow, wearing pajamas.\" data-eio=\"p\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dumblittleman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/social-media-privacy-settings-body-1.jpg\" class=\"lazyload\" data-eio-rwidth=\"1880\" data-eio-rheight=\"1253\"\/><\/source><\/picture><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dumblittleman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/social-media-privacy-settings-body-1.jpg\" alt=\"Interracial couple in bed at night using smartphones, illuminated by screen glow, wearing pajamas.\" data-eio=\"l\"\/><\/noscript><figcaption>Photo by cottonbro studio on Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Most accounts were created years ago, defaults were accepted, and settings have never been revisited since. Those defaults were designed for maximum sharing \u2014 that\u2019s good for the platform\u2019s ad business, less great for yours.<\/p>\n<p>A <a href=\"https:\/\/www.pewresearch.org\/internet\/\" class=\"external\" target=\"_blank\">Pew Research Center survey<\/a> found that a large majority of Americans feel they have little control over how companies collect and use their personal information online. What that stat leaves out: a surprising amount of that control actually exists in your settings. It\u2019s just not where anyone looks.<\/p>\n<p>This isn\u2019t a digital-minimalism lecture. It\u2019s a bolt-tightening exercise. Fifteen minutes, a handful of settings, and you\u2019re genuinely better off than most people who use these apps every day.<\/p>\n<h4>READ ALSO: <a href=\"https:\/\/dumblittleman.com\/best-password-managers\">The Best Password Managers That Actually Make Your Life Easier<\/a><\/h4>\n<h2>Who Can See Your Profile? (Check Your Settings)<\/h2>\n<figure><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dumblittleman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/social-media-privacy-settings-body-2.jpg.webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Young man with braided hair checking his smartphone while at home, embodying modern lifestyle.\" data-eio=\"p\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dumblittleman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/social-media-privacy-settings-body-2.jpg\" class=\"lazyload\" data-eio-rwidth=\"1880\" data-eio-rheight=\"1253\"\/><\/source><\/picture><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dumblittleman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/social-media-privacy-settings-body-2.jpg\" alt=\"Young man with braided hair checking his smartphone while at home, embodying modern lifestyle.\" data-eio=\"l\"\/><\/noscript><figcaption>Photo by MART PRODUCTION on Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>The most basic setting \u2014 and the most ignored \u2014 is your audience control. Not just who sees your posts, but who can look you up by your phone number or email, and whether your profile shows up in Google results.<\/p>\n<p>Even on a private account, certain things stay publicly visible: your profile photo, bio, username, and often your follower count. Check what\u2019s exposed before someone even follows you. On Facebook, this lives under Settings \u2192 Privacy \u2192 How People Find and Contact You. On Instagram: Settings \u2192 Privacy \u2192 Profile Privacy.<\/p>\n<p>The <a href=\"https:\/\/ssd.eff.org\/\" class=\"external\" target=\"_blank\">Electronic Frontier Foundation\u2019s Surveillance Self-Defense guide<\/a> lists search discoverability as one of the first things to lock down \u2014 especially if your name is distinctive enough that a Google search for it pulls up your social profiles. A quick toggle change fixes this entirely.<\/p>\n<h4>READ ALSO: <a href=\"https:\/\/dumblittleman.com\/digital-footprint-how-to-clean-it-up\">Your Digital Footprint Is Bigger Than You Think \u2014 Here\u2019s How to Shrink It<\/a><\/h4>\n<h2>Controlling Your Data and Ad Targeting<\/h2>\n<figure><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dumblittleman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/social-media-privacy-settings-body-3.jpg.webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A detailed close-up of social media icons on a smartphone screen, including Facebook and Twitter.\" data-eio=\"p\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dumblittleman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/social-media-privacy-settings-body-3.jpg\" class=\"lazyload\" data-eio-rwidth=\"1880\" data-eio-rheight=\"1253\"\/><\/source><\/picture><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dumblittleman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/social-media-privacy-settings-body-3.jpg\" alt=\"A detailed close-up of social media icons on a smartphone screen, including Facebook and Twitter.\" data-eio=\"l\"\/><\/noscript><figcaption>Photo by Pixabay on Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Here\u2019s the part that tends to make people pause: even if your profile is locked down tight, the platforms are still building a detailed ad profile of you in the background. Every like, scroll-pause, search, and click is logged and fed into targeting systems.<\/p>\n<p>Facebook has a tool called \u201cOff-Facebook Activity\u201d \u2014 find it under Settings \u2192 Your Facebook Information \u2192 Off-Facebook Activity. It shows you every website and app that has been reporting your behavior back to Meta, even when you weren\u2019t on Facebook at all. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theguardian.com\/technology\/data-protection\" class=\"external\" target=\"_blank\">The Guardian\u2019s data protection coverage<\/a> has documented how this tracking follows you across the internet via Meta\u2019s Pixel embedded on third-party sites. You can clear the history and limit future tracking from the same screen.<\/p>\n<p>On Instagram, Settings \u2192 Ads \u2192 Ad Preferences lets you review and edit the interest categories Meta uses to target you. On TikTok, it\u2019s Settings \u2192 Privacy \u2192 Personalization and Data \u2014 switch off ad personalization based on off-TikTok activity. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.consumerreports.org\/privacy\/\" class=\"external\" target=\"_blank\">Consumer Reports\u2019 privacy coverage<\/a> breaks down what each platform actually does with this data if you want the longer read.<\/p>\n<h4>READ ALSO: <a href=\"https:\/\/dumblittleman.com\/data-brokers-opt-out-guide\">Data Brokers Are Selling Your Info \u2014 Here\u2019s How to Get It Removed<\/a><\/h4>\n<h2>Platform-by-Platform: Instagram, Facebook, TikTok<\/h2>\n<figure><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dumblittleman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/social-media-privacy-settings-body-4.jpg.webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A tablet displaying popular apps like Facebook and Instagram in a dimly lit setting.\" data-eio=\"p\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dumblittleman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/social-media-privacy-settings-body-4.jpg\" class=\"lazyload\" data-eio-rwidth=\"1880\" data-eio-rheight=\"1253\"\/><\/source><\/picture><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dumblittleman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/social-media-privacy-settings-body-4.jpg\" alt=\"A tablet displaying popular apps like Facebook and Instagram in a dimly lit setting.\" data-eio=\"l\"\/><\/noscript><figcaption>Photo by Luis Quintero on Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Let\u2019s get specific. Here\u2019s exactly what to check on each platform \u2014 no wandering through menus required.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Instagram<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Private account:<\/strong> Settings \u2192 Account Privacy \u2192 toggle on. Only approved followers see your content.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Story resharing:<\/strong> Settings \u2192 Privacy \u2192 Story \u2192 turn off \u201cAllow Resharing to Stories\u201d so people can\u2019t repost your content to theirs.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Activity status:<\/strong> Settings \u2192 Privacy \u2192 Activity Status \u2014 this shows people when you were last online. Off is fine.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Who can message you:<\/strong> Settings \u2192 Privacy \u2192 Messages \u2192 Message Requests. Set to \u201cPeople You Follow\u201d to stop cold DMs from strangers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Facebook<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Privacy Checkup:<\/strong> Meta built a guided walkthrough directly into settings \u2014 Settings \u2192 Privacy Checkup. It takes about five minutes and covers the most important things automatically.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Search engine linking:<\/strong> Settings \u2192 Privacy \u2192 \u201cDo you want search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile?\u201d Turn it off unless you specifically want your Facebook appearing in Google results.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Location history:<\/strong> Settings \u2192 Location \u2192 Location History. Clear what\u2019s stored and turn it off going forward. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.wired.com\/tag\/privacy\/\" class=\"external\" target=\"_blank\">Wired\u2019s ongoing privacy reporting<\/a> has covered how location data from social apps gets used in ways most people never anticipate \u2014 including by third parties far downstream.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>TikTok<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Private account:<\/strong> Settings \u2192 Privacy \u2192 toggle on Private Account.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Suggest to contacts:<\/strong> Settings \u2192 Privacy \u2192 Suggest Your Account to Others \u2014 turn off both \u201cContacts\u201d and \u201cFacebook Friends.\u201d This syncs your phone\u2019s contact list to TikTok\u2019s servers.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Location:<\/strong> Settings \u2192 Privacy \u2192 Location Services \u2014 set to \u201cNever.\u201d <a href=\"https:\/\/www.theverge.com\/privacy\" class=\"external\" target=\"_blank\">The Verge\u2019s privacy coverage<\/a> has tracked TikTok\u2019s data practices closely if you want the full picture.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Duet and Stitch:<\/strong> Privacy \u2192 Duet \/ Stitch \u2014 set to \u201cFriends\u201d or \u201cNo One\u201d if you\u2019d rather strangers not remix your videos.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h4>READ ALSO: <a href=\"https:\/\/dumblittleman.com\/phone-security-tips\">Phone Security Tips for iPhone and Android That Actually Work<\/a><\/h4>\n<h2>Third-Party Apps: The Permission Audit<\/h2>\n<figure><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dumblittleman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/social-media-privacy-settings-body-5.jpg.webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Close-up image of a smartphone screen displaying various app icons on a dark background.\" data-eio=\"p\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dumblittleman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/social-media-privacy-settings-body-5.jpg\" class=\"lazyload\" data-eio-rwidth=\"1880\" data-eio-rheight=\"1253\"\/><\/source><\/picture><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dumblittleman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/social-media-privacy-settings-body-5.jpg\" alt=\"Close-up image of a smartphone screen displaying various app icons on a dark background.\" data-eio=\"l\"\/><\/noscript><figcaption>Photo by El Jundi on Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Remember logging into some random app with \u201cContinue with Facebook\u201d? That app probably still has access to your profile data \u2014 maybe your email, birthday, and friends list \u2014 and you\u2019ve likely forgotten it exists entirely.<\/p>\n<p>On Facebook: Settings \u2192 Security and Login \u2192 Apps and Websites. On Instagram: Settings \u2192 Security \u2192 Apps and Websites. Look at the list, revoke anything you don\u2019t recognize or haven\u2019t used in the last year. <a href=\"https:\/\/krebsonsecurity.com\/\" class=\"external\" target=\"_blank\">Security journalist Brian Krebs<\/a> has written about how forgotten app connections become breach entry points \u2014 the problem isn\u2019t Facebook getting hacked, it\u2019s that quiz site from 2017 getting hacked and taking your linked credentials with it.<\/p>\n<p>On TikTok, check Settings \u2192 Privacy \u2192 Connected Apps. Also worth doing: check your phone\u2019s system settings (iOS or Android) for a full overview of which apps have which permissions. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.cisa.gov\/cybersecurity\" class=\"external\" target=\"_blank\">CISA, the federal cybersecurity agency<\/a>, recommends treating app permission reviews as regular maintenance \u2014 not a one-time setup task.<\/p>\n<h2>Do This Today: Your Privacy Checklist<\/h2>\n<figure><picture><source type=\"image\/webp\" data-srcset=\"https:\/\/www.dumblittleman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/social-media-privacy-settings-body-6.jpg.webp\"><img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"A close-up view of a handwritten to-do list on a spiral notebook with numbers for tasks.\" data-eio=\"p\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dumblittleman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/social-media-privacy-settings-body-6.jpg\" class=\"lazyload\" data-eio-rwidth=\"1880\" data-eio-rheight=\"1058\"\/><\/source><\/picture><noscript><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.dumblittleman.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/09\/social-media-privacy-settings-body-6.jpg\" alt=\"A close-up view of a handwritten to-do list on a spiral notebook with numbers for tasks.\" data-eio=\"l\"\/><\/noscript><figcaption>Photo by Suzy Hazelwood on Pexels<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Here\u2019s the 15-minute version. Run through this once and you\u2019ll be in better shape than most people who\u2019ve been on these platforms for years:<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Switch Instagram and TikTok to private (if you don\u2019t need a public profile).<\/li>\n<li>Run Facebook\u2019s built-in Privacy Checkup tool.<\/li>\n<li>Turn off search engine linking on Facebook (Settings \u2192 Privacy).<\/li>\n<li>Clear your Off-Facebook Activity and limit future tracking (Settings \u2192 Your Facebook Information).<\/li>\n<li>Disable \u201cSuggest to Contacts\u201d on TikTok.<\/li>\n<li>Revoke old third-party app access on Facebook, Instagram, and TikTok.<\/li>\n<li>Turn off location services for social apps at the phone OS level \u2014 not just in-app.<\/li>\n<li>Switch off activity status on Instagram and Messenger.<\/li>\n<li>Check who can message you on each platform and tighten it up.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you want to go further, <a href=\"https:\/\/ssd.eff.org\/\" class=\"external\" target=\"_blank\">EFF\u2019s Surveillance Self-Defense<\/a> is free, thorough, and regularly updated. <a href=\"https:\/\/www.mozilla.org\/en-US\/privacy\/\" class=\"external\" target=\"_blank\">Mozilla\u2019s privacy resource hub<\/a> is also worth bookmarking \u2014 these settings menus change constantly, usually right around the time people start paying attention to them (coincidence, surely).<\/p>\n<p>None of this makes you invisible online. But it closes a lot of doors that were wide open, and that\u2019s an honest win for a Tuesday afternoon. Want more practical stuff like this delivered without the noise? <a href=\"https:\/\/dumblittleman.com\/newsletter\">The DLM newsletter<\/a> is a weekly drop of things worth knowing \u2014 inbox joy, no spam, guaranteed.<\/p>\n<h4>UP NEXT: <a href=\"https:\/\/dumblittleman.com\/do-you-need-a-vpn\">Do You Actually Need a VPN? An Honest Answer for Normal People<\/a><\/h4>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/hop.clickbank.net\/?affiliate=infohatch&amp;vendor=J1R2C\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"size-full wp-image-10614 aligncenter\" src=\"http:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/profit-gen400px.png\" alt=\"Profit Gen\" width=\"400\" height=\"217\" srcset=\"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/profit-gen400px.png 400w, https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/05\/profit-gen400px-300x163.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/a><br \/><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Somewhere in your Facebook settings right now, there\u2019s a toggle that lets search engines link to your profile. It\u2019s probably on. You\u2019ve never touched it [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":14046,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[16],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14045","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-happiness"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14045","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14045"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14045\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14046"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14045"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14045"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/parmaks.com\/Resources\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14045"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}