Online privacy and key settings to protect your data

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Protecting your online privacy is no longer a whim of technology geeks: it's a basic requirement for anyone who uses social networks, apps, messaging, or simply browses the internet daily.

Today, we unknowingly share a huge amount of personal data : photos, location, contacts, browsing habits, interests, work, even health and finances. The good news is that, with a few well-adjusted settings and some simple habits, you can regain considerable control over what platforms know about you and who sees what.

Online privacy, anonymity, and types of threats

When we talk about online privacy and security, we're not referring to a magic button that solves everything, but to a combination of technologies, settings, and good practices that gradually reduce risks.

On the Internet you face many types of threats : from governments that monitor part of the traffic, to companies that track every click for marketing purposes, to criminals, malware or groups of advanced attackers that try to spy on your communications or steal your accounts.

It's crucial to distinguish between two concepts that are often confused: privacy and anonymity . Privacy means that others cannot see the content of what you do or share, even if they know who you are; anonymity means that they can see what you do, but cannot associate it with you.

Ideally, we would have both privacy and anonymity , but by default, when we use social networks, apps, and cloud services, we usually have very little of both if we don't adjust the settings and use specific tools.

To truly improve your digital situation, it's a good idea to set clear goals : Do you want to prevent your internet provider from spying on you, stop advertisers from tracking you, protect your accounts from theft, or hide your identity while browsing? Depending on your goals, the solutions you need can vary considerably.

VPN, anonymity, and pre-encryption of your data

The most delicate link in your digital security is your local internet connection , that is, the section that goes from your device to the router or access point you are using.

In that part of the chain, attacks such as DNS spoofing , traffic spying, man-in-the-middle attacks, or session hijacking are especially effective, as they can allow an attacker to redirect websites, see what you are doing, or manipulate communication.

To minimize this risk, the wisest course of action is to use a VPN (virtual private network) . A VPN creates an encrypted tunnel between your computer and a remote server, so that all traffic leaving your device is protected until it reaches that server, and no one on your same network (neighbors, users of the same public Wi-Fi, or even dishonest ISP personnel) can see what you're doing.

Keep in mind that a VPN primarily provides privacy on the local side , but not necessarily complete anonymity: the VPN provider can know who you are and, unless it doesn't keep logs and is properly configured, your activity could be traced back to you.

If your priority is hiding your IP address and being more anonymous, you can use an anonymization service like Tor . The Tor project redirects your traffic through several distributed nodes, so the website you visit doesn't see your real IP address, but rather the IP address of an exit node.

Tor, however, doesn't work like a VPN: it only protects the traffic of the applications you configure to use its proxy, and the content that leaves through the exit node travels back as plain text or "normal" encrypted data, depending on the website or service you're using. In other words, Tor is better at hiding your identity, but it doesn't encrypt the entire path end-to-end.

Another key area is the files you upload to the cloud. Any file you leave on an online storage service without encryption can end up being accessed, copied, or modified by third parties. That's why it makes a lot of sense to adopt the "pre-encryption" or PIE rule: encrypt your data before uploading it.

With file encryption tools like AES Crypt, 7-Zip, Cryptomator, AxCrypt, or GnuPG, you can protect sensitive documents (personal documents, backups, financial information, etc.) with a strong password, so that even if someone gains access to the cloud server, they cannot open them without that key.

Configure privacy settings on major social networks

Social networks are a real magnet for personal data : photos, friend lists, relationships, interests, geolocation, opinions... and they are also a goldmine for social engineering campaigns and frauds.

It's worth repeating this idea: if a service is free, you are often the product . Platforms make their money by selling advertising based on highly detailed user profiles, built from all that information.

In addition to commercial collection, someone with bad intentions can use social media to impersonate you , set up targeted scams, or gain your trust by learning about you and your environment.

Fortunately, all major networks include fairly comprehensive privacy settings . The trick is to spend a few minutes reviewing each section and updating them regularly, as the platforms make changes quite frequently.

Facebook: Control what they see and how they find you

On Facebook, the key point is in the "Settings and Privacy" menu , where you can go to "Settings" or "Privacy Shortcuts" to review the most important settings.

In the section on how people can find and contact you, you can limit who can send you friend requests, locate you by your email or phone number, and see your friends list, as well as reduce the visibility of your public profile so that strangers see as little as possible.

Another key section is post privacy , where you choose whether what you share will be visible to everyone, only your friends, a custom group, or only to you. It's also a good idea to review the timeline and tagging settings to approve posts you're tagged in before they appear on your profile.

In the "Your Activity" area, you can manage all your past interactions: review and delete old posts, clear your activity log, and control which connected apps and websites have access to your Facebook account and what specific data.

X (formerly Twitter): audience, location, and contacts

On X (Twitter) the relevant settings are in the "Settings and privacy" menu , within the "Privacy and security" section.

There you can decide whether your posts will be public or protected . If you select the protected account option, only approved followers will be able to see your tweets, reply to them, or interact with them normally.

In the "Audience and tags" options you can control who can tag you in photos or mention you, and in "Content you see" you can filter notifications or results that contain offensive words, newly created accounts, or profiles that you consider unwanted.

Don't forget to check the location information section to disable the use of your exact location in your tweets, and the "Visibility and contacts" area, where you can prevent people from finding you by email or phone, thus reducing tracking and spam.

Instagram: Profile visibility and interactions

Instagram has its own "Settings and Privacy" menu both in the app and on the web, from which you can significantly protect your activity.

The first thing to consider is whether you want your account to be public or private . With a private account, only the followers you approve will see your photos, stories, and Reels; it's the best option if you're not interested in mass exposure.

In the section for who can see your content, in addition to general visibility, you can use tools like the "close friends" list in stories to share things only with a very small circle, or block specific accounts that you don't want interacting with you.

In the group of settings for how others can interact with you, you can limit comments, direct messages, replies to stories, tags and mentions, and even review and revoke permissions for third-party applications connected to your profile.

Finally, in the "Account Center" you can view started sessions, devices and locations, activate suspicious login alerts, and strengthen access security with two-step authentication.

LinkedIn: well-measured professional visibility

LinkedIn is primarily a professional network, but that doesn't mean you should expose all your work and contact information without filters.

From the "Settings and privacy" menu, you can access the visibility section to define who sees your profile, your recent activity, your contacts, and the data you publicly display about yourself, your company, or your career.

Another key section is "Data Privacy," where you adjust who can contact you , whether you accept messages from any member or only from your connections, and how your data is used to show you ads or suggestions.

It's also a good idea to periodically review the "Login and security" section, checking active devices and sessions for suspicious activity, and the notifications sections to decide who you want to receive alerts from and in what format.

TikTok: private account, interactions and devices

TikTok, very popular among young users but increasingly used by all ages, concentrates many privacy and security options in "Settings and privacy" > "Privacy".

From there you can convert your profile to a private account , so that only followers you approve will be able to see your videos, your follower list, and your basic account information.

In the visibility section, it's also worth checking if you allow the use of location services and adjusting the app's permissions from the system (camera, microphone, contacts, storage, etc.), leaving only those that are strictly necessary.

Within the interactions section, you can limit who can comment, mention, tag, send you direct messages, or use your videos in duets and other platform-specific features, as well as manage the list of blocked accounts.

If you go back to "Settings and privacy" and enter "Security," you can see the list of devices with an open session on your account and close those you don't recognize, which is very useful for cutting off unauthorized access.

OnlyFans: Profile and session control

On OnlyFans, a subscription platform for exclusive content, the Settings panel includes a specific "Privacy and security" section.

There you can decide how you manage private content , what type of subscription you associate it with (followers, restricted, etc.) and what profile elements you show, such as recent activity or special subscription offers.

In the "Account" section, it's important to review active login sessions , closing any you don't recognize to prevent anyone else from accessing your dashboard, your earnings, or your content.

WhatsApp: Visibility, Groups, and Sensitive Messages

Despite being a messaging app, WhatsApp also exposes a lot of personal information if you don't adjust its internal settings.

From "Settings" > "Account" > "Privacy" you can control who sees your profile picture, your last connection time, your info message and your statuses, choosing between everyone, only your contacts or nobody.

In that same menu you can disable read receipts (the famous blue double check), limit who can add you to groups without your permission, and in chats set the "view once" option when sending photos or videos so that the recipient cannot save them, forward them, or take screenshots.

All messages are sent with end-to-end encryption by default, but you can verify the encryption with each contact from the chat information, by comparing the code, or by scanning the QR code in person.

Privacy and security settings on Android and browsers

Beyond each specific app, your mobile phone and your browser play a key role in filtering what data is shared and with whom.

Many recent Android devices have a combined "Security and Privacy" panel that displays a summary of the device's status, along with alerts when it detects potential risks and recommendations to improve your protection.

At the top of that screen you'll see a message like "All OK" if there are no problems, or something like "Device at risk" if any worrying elements are detected, briefly explained below.

From this panel you can usually review application permissions, malware detection, location services, data usage, screen lock, biometric authentication and other options, although the specific organization varies depending on the manufacturer.

In conventional web browsers, it's also a good idea to review the privacy and security options . In Chrome, for example, you access them from the three-dot menu > "Settings" > "Privacy and security," where you can clear cookies and history, manage site permissions (camera, microphone, notifications, etc.), and review saved passwords. Firefox, Safari, and Microsoft Edge have similar menus (see which Edge features are disabled ) where you can adjust tracker blocking , the types of cookies you accept, automatic data deletion when closing the browser, and other specific functions.

Privacy-focused browsers, search engines, and extensions

If you want to go a step further, in addition to tweaking settings, you can choose browsers and search engines that inherently respect your privacy more (see our guide to the best web browsers ).

For example, Brave is a browser that includes built-in blocking of intrusive ads, trackers, malicious scripts, and some control over cookies, in addition to offering advanced options such as integration with anonymous networks and, in its mobile app, the ability to add a VPN (for a fee). For example, see our Brave vs. Vivaldi comparison to assess the differences in privacy and performance.

As for search engines, alternatives like DuckDuckGo have become popular because they minimize the personal information they store: they don't associate searches with your IP address or keep a detailed profile, making it difficult for third parties to link your searches to your identity (read our browser privacy guide for more information).

Additionally, you can enhance your setup with extensions that strengthen security, always using common sense and avoiding installing things unnecessarily. Ad blockers help clean up your browsing experience and reduce exposure to malicious advertising, while code blockers allow you to decide which scripts run on each page.

There are also specific VPN browser extensions useful for particular tasks, and password managers that integrate to securely autofill credentials, generating strong and distinct keys for each site.

Best practices: less footprint, more control

Even if you adjust all the settings, your level of online privacy will depend heavily on your daily habits.

On social media, it is highly recommended to minimize the information you provide in your profile: there is no need to tell your whole life story, or fill out questionnaires, surveys or games of the type "discover which character you are by answering these 20 questions", which are often used to better profile you or even deduce possible answers to your security questions.

It also helps to limit your use of the "like" button and compulsive sharing, since each interaction adds information to your advertising profile . And, whenever possible, avoid logging into other services using your Google, Facebook, or other accounts, because that further links platforms together.

Regarding email and phone, it's a good idea to reserve your main address and personal number for what's really important, and create disposable email accounts (or even an alternative number) for online store registrations, sweepstakes, and services you don't trust too much.

In messaging, prioritize apps that use true end-to-end encryption . WhatsApp uses it by default, while in Telegram, for example, you have to manually activate "secret chats" if you want to prevent anyone else from reading your conversations, not even on the provider's servers.

Passwords, security questions, and logging out

A huge part of your privacy depends on the security of your accounts , and that starts with the passwords you use.

The most effective strategy involves using a password manager that securely stores all your passwords and allows you to generate long, unique, and random combinations for each service, without ever reusing them.

The master password for that manager must be very strong: for example, a long phrase made up of several words, with some intentional misspellings and interspersed symbols, that you only use for that purpose and never repeat anywhere else.

Many services still use security questions to recover your account or authorize sensitive changes. To prevent someone from guessing your answers just by looking at your social media, you can use tricks like answering with the opposite of what's asked, or always adding a fixed filler phrase at the end of the correct answer, making them easy to remember but almost impossible for someone else to deduce.

Don't forget to enable two-factor authentication (2FA) whenever it's available: this could be through SMS codes, authenticator apps, or physical security keys. It's a small extra bit of time in exchange for a huge leap in protection against account theft.

And when you finish using a sensitive service (email, online banking, major social networks, etc.), get into the habit of using the logout option , instead of just closing the tab. This prevents someone from taking advantage of open sessions if they gain access to your device or browser.

HTTPS, malware, permissions, and WiFi networks

In addition to using a VPN, it's important to ensure that your website connections always use HTTPS , that is, HTTP encrypted using TLS, so that no one can easily read or manipulate what you exchange with each site.

Modern browsers display a padlock icon next to the address when the connection is secure; you can click on it to see details of the digital certificate and the protocol used (ideally TLS 1.3 or, at a minimum, 1.2).

Malware is a constant threat to your privacy . To reduce risks, it's recommended to use a good, up-to-date antivirus program, enable real-time protection, schedule regular scans, and be very careful when downloading files, opening email attachments, or connecting USB drives from unknown sources (see our Windows PC privacy guide ).

On your mobile device, carefully review app permissions : many request access to contacts, location, camera, or microphone when they don't actually need it to function. Disable anything unnecessary and delete apps you don't use.

Finally, beware of public Wi-Fi networks : they are often a breeding ground for espionage attacks, fake access points, or session hijacking attempts. If possible, use your own mobile connection by sharing data from your phone or a portable router; if you have no choice but to use open Wi-Fi, activate a reliable VPN as soon as you connect and avoid entering credentials or banking information.

Protecting your online privacy isn't about one big change, but rather about gradually adjusting settings, tools, and habits to minimize the amount of data you expose and the chances of someone misusing it. With a good combination of settings on social networks and apps, strong passwords, VPNs, encryption, regular permission reviews, and a bit of common sense , you can navigate the internet with much more peace of mind without leaving your digital life exposed.