The Social Media Problem
Social media platforms are surveillance capitalism machines. Their business model is collecting and selling your data. "If you're not paying for the product, you are the product."
Behavior Tracking
Every click, like, scroll tracked
Data CollectionFacial Recognition
Photos scanned and indexed
BiometricSocial Graph
Your relationships mapped
NetworkShadow Profiles
Data on non-users too
HiddenPrivacy Settings (If You Must Use)
General Recommendations
- Make accounts private/friends-only
- Disable facial recognition tagging
- Review and remove tagged photos
- Disable location tagging
- Limit who can find you by email/phone
- Disable "off-platform activity" tracking
- Review connected apps and remove access
- Use strong, unique passwords
- Enable two-factor authentication
Privacy-Respecting Alternatives
Mastodon
Decentralized, federated social network. No ads, no tracking, community-run servers.
Element (Matrix)
Encrypted, decentralized chat. Self-hostable, federated protocol.
PeerTube
Federated video platform. No tracking, community-hosted.
Pixelfed
Federated photo sharing. Privacy-focused Instagram alternative.
Privacy Strategies
Minimize Presence
Delete accounts you don't need. Reduce posting. Share less personal information.
Pseudonymous Use
Use fake names, separate email, avoid real photos. Don't connect to real identity.
Compartmentalization
Use different accounts for different purposes. Access through separate browsers/VPNs.
Data Poisoning
Provide false information to corrupt tracking profiles. Use data deletion requests.
Account Deletion
Before deleting, download your data (usually available in settings). Then:
- Remove all posts/photos manually first
- Disconnect all third-party apps
- Change email/phone to temporary ones
- Request full data deletion (GDPR/CCPA)
- Delete account permanently (not just deactivate)
Note: Companies retain data for years even after "deletion." Once shared online, assume it's permanent.