Settings

Privacy settings are part of a social networking website, internet browser, piece of software, or a device setting that allows you to control who sees information about you such as your personal data and location.

Basic settings that you should customise include app permissions, notifications, geo-location tracking and screen lock.

The best tips for keeping your online data private are: create strong passwords; keep a tab on the permissions of apps on your device; avoid public WiFi networks; keep software up-to-date; avoid clicking on suspicious links or attachments; don’t keep unnecessary services enabled on your device; download and install only from reliable sources; install a reliable security suite; backup your data; uninstall unused apps.

Every app requires a certain degree of permissions from the user to access your contacts, images and the like. Facebook requires more permissions than any other: contacts, call logs, text messages, location, camera, internal storage, WiFi, connectivity and more.

Social media platforms have the ability to collect information about you. This data is collected through your device, google searches, and things you like and post, that can help to determine “hidden attributes about you that you didn’t even know you were sharing information about.

Social media platforms can offer ad space to advertisers. Unlike traditional publishing, social media ads can be tailored to personalized data the social network sees you searching for, talking about, or liking daily. Guesstimates are based on the interests of you, your family, your friends, and your friends’ friends, plus other demographic-specific clues, such as your job title, pictures of your home, travel experiences, cars, and marriage status. Even selling your data to advertisers or other marketing firms could be involved.