Protecting your personal information on social media is more important than ever. Both Facebook and LinkedIn offer a range of privacy and security settings that you can customize to better control who sees your information and how your accounts are accessed.
On Facebook, start by using the “Privacy Checkup” tool, which walks you through key privacy and security settings. Access this by clicking your profile icon, selecting “Settings & privacy,” then “Privacy Checkup.” Here, you can choose who sees your posts, stories, and profile details like your email, birthday, and friends list. For maximum privacy, set these to “Friends” or “Only me.” You can also limit the audience for your past posts, making them visible only to friends.
Next, review how people can find and contact you. Limit friend requests to “Friends of friends,” and turn off the option for search engines to link to your profile. Be mindful of what you share on your profile. Keep sensitive details like your birthday, hometown, and contact information private.
Strengthen your account security by using a strong, unique password and enabling two-factor authentication (2FA), which adds an extra layer of protection. Regularly check your active sessions for unfamiliar devices or locations, and log out remotely if needed. Be selective about accepting friend requests, and only connect with people you know. Review and remove any apps or websites you no longer use, as these can access your data. Finally, adjust your ad preferences to limit how your information is used for targeted advertising.
LinkedIn also provides robust privacy and security controls. Start by visiting “Settings & Privacy” from the “Me” menu at the top of your LinkedIn homepage. Under the “Visibility” section, you can control who can see your profile, your connections, and your activity. Consider setting your profile visibility to “Connections” or “Only you,” especially for sensitive sections like your email address or phone number. You can also manage who can send you connection requests and messages—restricting these to “Connections” or “People who know your email” can reduce unwanted contact.
For security, LinkedIn offers two-step verification (their version of 2FA), which you should enable to protect your account from unauthorized access. Regularly review your active sessions and sign out of devices you don’t recognize. Be careful about which third-party apps you connect to your LinkedIn account, and remove any you don’t use. Under “Data privacy,” you can manage how your information is used for research and advertising, and you can download a copy of your data to see what LinkedIn has stored about you.
On both platforms, be thoughtful about the information you share in posts and your profile. Avoid posting sensitive details publicly, and use audience selectors to control who can see your updates. Be wary of unsolicited connection or friend requests, as these can sometimes be attempts to gather personal information or launch phishing attacks.
By regularly reviewing and updating your privacy and security settings on both Facebook and LinkedIn, you can significantly reduce your risk of data breaches, unwanted contact, and identity theft. Taking these steps helps ensure that your personal and professional information remains as secure as possible online.