Why Privacy Matters
Every time you use the internet, you leave behind a trail of data. The websites you visit, the searches you make, the products you browse, the messages you send — all of this information is collected, stored, and often shared or sold. Over time, this data builds a remarkably detailed profile of who you are, what you care about, where you go, and what you buy.
Privacy is not about having something to hide. It is about having the right to control your own information. When you manage your privacy settings intentionally, you decide what the world knows about you, rather than leaving that decision to corporations, data brokers, and advertisers.
This guide walks you through the most important privacy settings and practices across your digital life, from your web browser to your social media accounts to the apps on your phone.
Core Privacy Principles
Before diving into specific settings, it helps to understand a few guiding principles that apply everywhere:
- Data minimization — Share the least amount of personal information necessary. If a service does not need your birthday or phone number, do not provide it.
- Default skepticism — Assume that default settings favor the company, not you. New accounts, apps, and devices almost always start with privacy-unfriendly defaults that you need to adjust.
- Regular review — Privacy settings change as companies update their platforms. Make it a habit to review your settings periodically, not just when you first create an account.
- Layered protection — No single setting protects you completely. Effective privacy comes from combining multiple practices — browser settings, account configurations, careful sharing habits, and awareness of how your data is used.
Browser Privacy
Your web browser is the window through which you experience most of the internet. It is also the primary tool that websites and advertisers use to track you. Configuring your browser's privacy settings is one of the most impactful steps you can take.
Cookies and Tracking
Cookies are small files that websites store on your computer. Some are essential — they keep you logged in or remember your shopping cart. Others, known as third-party cookies, exist solely to track your activity across different websites and build advertising profiles.
Most modern browsers allow you to block third-party cookies while still allowing first-party cookies that keep sites functional. Enable this setting. Some browsers go further by blocking known tracking scripts and fingerprinting techniques, which identify you based on your browser and device configuration rather than cookies.
Private and Incognito Browsing
Private or incognito mode prevents your browser from saving your browsing history, cookies, and form data after you close the window. This is useful for keeping your activity private from other people who share your device.
However, it is important to understand what private browsing does not do. It does not hide your activity from your internet service provider, your employer (if you are on a work network), or the websites you visit. It is a local privacy tool, not an anonymity tool.
Browser Extensions for Privacy
A few well-chosen browser extensions can significantly improve your privacy. Look for extensions that block tracking scripts, remove tracking parameters from URLs, and force encrypted connections when available. Be selective — installing too many extensions can actually make you more identifiable through browser fingerprinting, and poorly maintained extensions can become security risks themselves.
Clearing Your Data
Periodically clearing your cookies, browsing history, and cached data helps reduce the amount of information that can be harvested from your browser. Many browsers let you set this to happen automatically when you close the browser, giving you a fresh start each session.
Social Media Privacy
Social media platforms are designed to encourage sharing. That is their business model. But the default settings on most platforms make far more of your information public than most people realize. Taking control of your social media privacy requires deliberate action.
Profile Visibility
Review who can see your profile information, including your email address, phone number, birthday, location, and friend or follower list. For most people, this information should be visible only to confirmed connections, not the general public. Many platforms allow you to control visibility on a per-field basis, so you can keep your name and profile picture public while hiding everything else.
Post and Content Visibility
Check the default audience for your posts. On many platforms, this defaults to "Public," meaning anyone on the internet can see what you share. Change your default posting audience to friends or connections only, and adjust individual posts when you want to share something more broadly.
Tagging and Mentions
Configure who can tag you in photos, posts, and comments, and whether tagged content appears on your profile automatically or requires your approval. This prevents others from inadvertently making your information or location visible without your consent.
Search and Discoverability
Most platforms let people find your profile using your email address, phone number, or real name. If you prefer not to be easily discoverable, turn off these lookup options. Also check whether search engines can index your profile — if you do not want your social media profile appearing in search results, disable this setting.
Connected Apps and Third-Party Access
Over time, you may have granted dozens of third-party apps access to your social media accounts, often through "Log in with..." buttons. Review this list regularly and revoke access for any apps you no longer use or recognize. Each connected app is a potential pathway for your data to be collected or exposed.
App Permissions on Your Phone
The apps on your smartphone can request access to a wide range of sensitive information: your location, camera, microphone, contacts, photos, health data, and more. Many apps request far more permissions than they actually need to function.
Reviewing Permissions
Go through your phone's settings and review the permissions granted to each app. Ask yourself: does this app genuinely need this permission to do what I use it for? A weather app needs your location; it does not need your contacts. A messaging app needs your camera to take photos in conversations; it does not need to track your location in the background.
Location Permissions
Location data is among the most sensitive information your phone can share. For most apps, "While Using the App" is the most appropriate setting. Very few apps — perhaps navigation or a family safety app — genuinely need "Always" access to your location. Review and restrict background location access aggressively.
Camera and Microphone
Only apps that clearly need your camera or microphone should have access to them. Modern operating systems show indicators when these sensors are active, so pay attention if you see a camera or microphone icon when you are not actively using a feature that requires it.
Data Minimization in Practice
Data minimization is the practice of sharing as little personal information as possible. Here is how to apply it in everyday digital life:
- Skip optional fields — When creating accounts or filling out forms, leave optional fields blank. You can always add information later if it is truly needed.
- Use separate email addresses — Consider using a secondary email address for shopping, newsletters, and non-critical accounts. This keeps your primary email out of marketing databases and reduces spam.
- Be cautious with loyalty programs — Loyalty cards and store accounts trade your purchasing data for discounts. Decide whether the discount is worth the data you are giving up.
- Think before you share — Before posting personal information online or providing it to a service, ask yourself whether you are comfortable with that information being stored indefinitely and potentially shared with unknown third parties.
- Delete unused accounts — Old accounts you no longer use still hold your data. Close them when possible. If the service makes deletion difficult, at minimum remove your personal information from the profile.
Search Engine Privacy
Your search history reveals an extraordinary amount about your interests, concerns, health, finances, and personal life. Major search engines collect and store this data to build advertising profiles and personalize results.
To reduce search tracking, consider using a privacy-focused search engine that does not track your queries or build a profile of your searches. You can set any search engine as your browser's default, making the switch seamless.
If you prefer to continue using a major search engine, review your account's activity settings. Most major search engines allow you to pause or delete your search history, limit ad personalization, and reduce the data associated with your account.
Email Privacy
Email is one of the oldest and most widely used digital communication tools, and it comes with significant privacy considerations.
Tracking Pixels
Many marketing emails contain invisible tracking pixels — tiny images that, when loaded, tell the sender that you opened the email, what time you opened it, and sometimes your approximate location. Disabling automatic image loading in your email client prevents these trackers from functioning, though you can still choose to load images on a message-by-message basis.
Email Aliases and Forwarding
Email aliases allow you to create multiple email addresses that all forward to your real inbox. This lets you give different addresses to different services, making it easy to identify which company shared or leaked your information if you start receiving spam on a specific alias. Some email providers include this feature, and there are standalone services that specialize in email aliasing.
Encryption
Standard email is not encrypted end-to-end, meaning it can potentially be read by email providers and anyone who intercepts it in transit. For sensitive communications, consider using an email provider that offers end-to-end encryption, or use encrypted messaging platforms for truly private conversations.
Understanding Privacy Policies
Privacy policies are notoriously long and difficult to read, but understanding the basics of what they say is important. Here is what to look for:
- What data is collected — Look for specifics: do they collect just your email, or also your location, browsing habits, contacts, and device information?
- How data is used — Is it used only to provide the service, or also for advertising, profiling, or sale to third parties?
- Who data is shared with — Watch for broad language about "partners," "affiliates," or "third parties." The more entities that have your data, the less control you have.
- Data retention — How long is your data kept? Some companies store data indefinitely, even after you close your account.
- Your rights — Depending on where you live, you may have the right to access, correct, or delete your data. Look for information about how to exercise these rights. For a detailed breakdown of your legal rights under GDPR, CCPA, and other data protection laws, see our Data Protection Laws guide.
If a privacy policy is unclear or overly permissive, consider whether the service is worth the data it collects. There are often more privacy-respecting alternatives available.
Building a Privacy Routine
Privacy is not a one-time setup — it is an ongoing practice. Here is a simple routine to maintain your privacy over time:
- Monthly — Review and revoke unnecessary app permissions and connected third-party apps on your social media accounts.
- Quarterly — Check your social media privacy settings for changes. Platforms frequently update their settings and sometimes reset your preferences.
- Twice a year — Search for your own name online to see what information about you is publicly visible. Review and update your browser privacy settings.
- Annually — Close unused accounts, review your data with major platforms using their data download tools, and request deletion of data you do not want retained.
Next Steps
With your privacy settings configured and a maintenance routine in place, the next area to address is identity theft prevention. Understanding how identity theft works and what you can do to prevent it builds on the password, MFA, and privacy foundations you have already established.