Privacy Check

This week I chose to review the privacy settings of my social media accounts. It has been awhile since I have set up my accounts and figured it's a good idea to review and cleanup my accounts. I tend to want to secure the information I share on social media and have always chosen the most private settings.

I am most active on Facebook and usually check my settings at least every other month. Most of my settings are set so only "Friends" can see my information, this is a personal choice, but also influenced by my school district. The district requests that staff members set "only friends" to see information. It is also stated that staff members should not "friend" any current students.

Facebook Privacy Settings
Source: Author screenshot

 I also have chosen to keep my timeline and tagging settings fairly conservative. I like to "approve" anything that is added to my timeline prior to it being posted. Also, reviewing all photos that I am tagged in is extremely important to me!

Facebook Privacy Settings
Source: Author screenshot

Overall, I am happy with my settings on Facebook, especially since I only use it for personal reasons. I know Facebook changes their privacy settings every now and then, so I am in the habit to ensure the settings are up to date.

I also took a look at my Instagram settings, however, since Facebook owns Instagram it seemed like the settings were one in the same. The only setting I could really find was making an account private, which mine already was.

Instagram Privacy Setting
Source: Author screenshot

Next, I checked Pinterest. I never really thought about the privacy settings on my Pinterest account. This account has the least personal information and I only use it to bookmark ideas, websites, and anything that seems interesting to me. The only privacy setting I could find was the search privacy, which is turned on for my account.

Pinterest Privacy Setting
Source: Author screenshot

Lastly, I looked at my Twitter account. This account is the only account which I have set to public. I set the account to public for my EDU 776 course, this was a big step for me! I have chosen to leave the account as public just to see how it goes. I only use Twitter for professional reasons, so I feel more comfortable with having that information publicly accessible.

Twitter Privacy Settings
Source: Author screenshot 

Twitter Privacy Settings
Source: Author screenshot

I think it is important for all social media users to check their privacy settings at least annually. It is a fairly easy task to complete and can keep you protected. Social media sites are constantly changing their policies, so it is a good idea to ensure you are happy with their changes.

For more on a teacher's guidance on privacy settings, click here.