Page 69 - Cyber Safety C-8

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