Social Media Privacy: A PI’s View on Oversharing and How to Lock Down Your Profiles
- Bob Slencak
- Dec 3, 2025
- 2 min read
Hello, everyone! It's the holiday season and often I see people sharing their holiday plans and photos online. While it's fun to share with friends, social media posts can lead to sharing too much information. Let’s talk about why oversharing on social media can be risky and how to protect your privacy.
Why Oversharing Is a Problem
Posting about your vacation, new job, or even your daily coffee run can give strangers a window into your life. Scammers use these details to trick you, steal your identity, or even target your home. I’ve seen cases where a single post about being out of town led to a burglary!
Simple Steps to Stay Private
Here’s how to keep your social media accounts secure:
Set Profiles to Private: On platforms like Facebook, Instagram, or Twitter, switch your account to private so only approved followers see your posts.
Limit Personal Details: Avoid sharing your address, phone number, or full birthdate. Even small details, like your pet’s name, can help hackers guess passwords.
Check App Permissions: Apps connected to your social media (e.g., games, quizzes) can access your data. Review and remove ones you don’t trust.
Turn Off Location Tags: Disable location sharing for posts or photos to avoid revealing where you are.
Be Picky About Friends: Only accept requests from people you know. Fake accounts are common and can be used to spy on you.
A PI’s Tip
Social media sites are cognizant of the risk some posts pose to their users and have taken proactive steps to help members of online communities protect themselves. Most social media sites provide a page with recommendations and instructions. Here are a few links:
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/privacy/center/
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