Profile visibility
Decides whether your page can be seen by anyone, only by friends or only by followers you have approved. Almost everything else depends on it.
Settings
Tools
Social networks look different on the surface, but the levers they offer are similar. Almost everywhere you can limit who sees your page, separate close friends from everyone else, stop people tagging you in their photos and see where your account has been accessed from. Once you know these options exist, finding them in any app becomes much easier.
Default settings are designed for the service's convenience, not your peace of mind. They are worth reviewing at least once.
How this section works: we list the kinds of settings found in most social networks, without brand names or step-by-step menus. Look up the exact location of an option in your app's help pages, and if it is not there, assume the feature is not available yet.
What almost every social network has in its settings
Six settings worth finding first.
Close friends list
Lets you show particular posts to a small circle: family, old friends. Handy for family photos your colleagues have no need to see.
Photo tags
Here you can stop people tagging you in their photos or require your approval before a tag appears on your page.
Login history
Shows the devices and approximate locations your account was accessed from. An unfamiliar device is a reason to end that session at once and change your password.
Two-factor authentication
Adds a second confirmation step when you log in. Even if a stranger learns your password, they cannot get into the account without the code or your device.
Archive and deletion
The archive hides a post from everyone except you and lets you restore it later. Deleting removes it from your page, but not from other people's screenshots.
See also
- Guides
Step-by-step guides: how to write a status, choose a photo, set visibility, clean up old posts and agree on family rules. The article catalogue is here too.
- Security
The risks of a public profile: location tags, photos of documents, quizzes with personal questions, reused passwords, suspicious links.
- Comparisons
Public or private profile, plus which topics suit a status and what risk each of them carries.
- Trouble
Hacked account, your photo posted without asking, a hurtful comment, a fake page, a child posting too much: what to do.
- Glossary
A glossary of terms: profiles, privacy and communication on social media in plain words.
Sources
- Social networks' privacy help pages
Legal information is summarised in general terms from the official texts of the laws as of the preparation date. Social network settings and laws change over time, so check the help pages of the services themselves and the current versions of the laws.