The Basics · Step 5 of 13

Tighten your social media

Your social media accounts can show a stranger where you live, work, and spend time, so check what they show and to whom. Social media posts are one of the common sources doxers use. ²

What privacy settings do

Privacy settings help you limit who can see where you are, what you post, and who can connect with you. ³ But it is impossible to completely control who sees what you share. Anyone who can see a post can take a screenshot of it. ³ Even posts you delete, or posts that disappear on their own, could be saved and shared. ³

So settings make you harder to find. They don't make what you post private for good. Think of anything you post as something a stranger might see.

Your likes, shares, and comments should be thought of as public too. ¹ And other people's posts can put you at risk if they share details about you. ¹

Your profile

Start with what anyone can see on your profile, even if they don't follow you.

• Remove your home address, phone number, and birth date from your profiles. ²
• Don't list your location on your profile. ¹ Also check your bio for your town, school, or workplace.
• Look at your profile photo and cover photo. Make sure they don't show your house, street signs, your car's license plate, or your workplace.
• Consider using different usernames on different accounts, so one search for a username doesn't turn up all of them.

Who can see your posts

Next, check who can see your posts. CISA suggests making your accounts private. ¹ What "private" means is different on each platform. For example:

• On X, public posts can be seen by anyone, even people without an account. Protected posts can only be seen by your followers. ⁸
• On YouTube, anyone can see a public video. Unlisted videos can be seen by anyone who has the link. Private videos can only be seen by you and people you choose. ¹⁰
• Instagram's help center explains how to make your account private. ⁷
• Facebook has a Privacy Checkup tool that walks you through your main settings. ⁴

Review your followers and friends. DHS suggests rejecting requests from anyone you don't know. ² Also check whether strangers can see your friends or followers list.

Tags and contact info

Other people can tag you in posts and photos. Check your settings for who can tag you and who can see posts you're tagged in. Facebook's help center has a page about controlling who sees posts and photos you're tagged in. ⁶

Check what contact details your accounts show. In your Google Account, for example, you can choose whether items like your birthday, contact info, and places you've lived are visible to anyone or only to you. ⁹

Old posts

CISA says to be aware of what your social media activity reveals about you and your daily patterns. ¹ Look for old posts that show where you live, where you work, your kids' school, or places you go often. Posts about your travel plans and schedule can also put you at risk. ¹

Some platforms let you change who can see your older posts all at once. Facebook has a help page about choosing who can see your previous posts. ⁵ On X, when you protect your posts, they are no longer public on X and don't show up in public X search results. ⁸ A post that someone already saved could still be shared and stay online. ³

What to do

Start with the accounts you use most. Then do the ones you rarely use, because those are easy to forget.

1. Open each account's privacy settings. Use the platform's own help page if you can't find them. ¹
2. Choose who can see your posts. Make your account private if you can. ¹
3. Remove your address, phone number, and birth date from your profile. ²
4. Turn off location sharing, and stop adding location tags to posts. ¹
5. Check who can tag you, and who can see your friends or followers list.
6. Go through old posts. Delete or hide ones that show where you live, work, or go often.
7. Remove followers you don't know. ²
8. Delete accounts you no longer use.
9. Look at your profile while logged out, or from a friend's account, to see what a stranger sees.

Check your settings again after big app updates, and from time to time. Step 9 covers what your photos and location can reveal.

Last checked: November 8, 2026