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Page 69 - Cyber Safety C-8
P. 69

    Most apps and websites collect personal information such as name, photos, contacts, location,
                     interests, and browsing habits. To stay safe, it is important to check and adjust privacy settings
                     so that only trusted people can see your activities. Strong privacy settings reduce the chances of
                     misuse, identity theft, cyberbullying, and online stalking.

                     Below are some commonly used platforms and the important privacy settings to manage:
                     1.  Social Media

                        Social media platforms allow choosing who can see profiles, posts, and personal information.
                        Some important privacy settings for social media are:

                             Set account to private: Only approved friends/followers can see photos, posts, and stories.

                             Control comments and tags: Limit who is allowed to comment on posts or tag in photos.
                             Limit direct messages: Select  “Friends Only”  or “Contacts  Only”  to  avoid  strangers
                            messaging.

                             Restrict or block suspicious users: If someone behaves strangely, restrict or block them.
                             Review followers list regularly: Remove unknown or suspicious accounts.

                             Turn off location tagging on photos: Prevents others from knowing location.
                     2.  WhatsApp

                        WhatsApp  shares profile photo,  name, last seen, and status  with others. If  not restricted,
                        strangers can misuse this information. Some important privacy settings for WhatsApp are:
                             Hide profile photo / about / status: Set to Contacts Only or Nobody.

                             Freeze Last Seen and Online status: Prevents tracking of activity.
                             Disable read receipts: Blue ticks can be turned off for privacy.

                             Enable two-step verification: Adds a PIN to prevent registration of WhatsApp on another
                            device.
                             Block unknown callers: Helps avoid spam and scam calls.

                             Limit group add  permissions: Set  to  “Only Contacts”  or “Only  Admins”  so  strangers
                            cannot add to random groups.

                     3.  Google Accounts
                        Google collects search history, watch history, location history, and browsing activity across
                        devices. Some important privacy settings for Google accounts are:

                             Turn off location history: Stops Google from tracking movements.

                             Pause web & app activity: Prevents Google from saving searches and websites visited.
                             Disable YouTube watch/search history: Reduces unwanted recommendations.

                             Review "Apps with Account Access": Remove apps or websites no longer used.

                             Set up 2-step verification: Protects Gmail from hacking.
                             Manage ad personalisation: Stops Google from using data to show targeted ads.

                                                                                       Protecting Personal Data & Privacy  67

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