Welcome to KC’s first instalment of ‘Private Parts…’ where we’ll be taking a deep dive into things like staying safe online, looking after your mental health, fake news and sexual consent. We’re kicking off this series with something you probably already know a little bit about; Online Privacy and Your Digital Footprint.
Every time you go online, you leave a footprint of where you’ve been and what you’ve done…
Whenever you visit a website, share a photo or make a comment online, you leave a digital footprint that other people can see. Your digital footprint includes all the information you share or that’s collected about you online, and there can be a lot of it.
Lots of the information you share can be seen by other people. It can be used to target adverts at you, or it could be seen by a potential employer years later. Sometimes people can use the details you share to work out your identity.
Your footprint can be both good and bad. It could show things you’re embarrassed about later, or help people to see your skills or things you’re proud of.
Whether you want to protect your privacy or leave a positive digital footprint, we’ve got advice for you.
Lots of social media sites will set your account to public by default. Changing your privacy settings lets you control who can see your posts and whether they’ll appear on search engines
You never know who’ll see photos, videos or comments you put online so think about how others might react before you post anything. Even apps like Snapchat can be screenshotted and shared. Never share your address, phone number or the name of your school online.
Posted something you regret? There are lots of ways to delete things about you online. It can help to close or delete old social media accounts you don’t use anymore as well.
Typing your name or your username into a search engine can help you find what’s easily available about you online. Remember, if you can find it then so can other people.
Devices like phones, fitness trackers or wearables can collect data about you without you realising. Every device is different so search online to find out if your data is being used.
Lots of apps will ask for permission to use your data when you install them, including things like your contacts, photos and messages. Be careful about what you agree to and pick apps and browsers that protect your privacy. When you visit sites and you’re asked whether you accept cookies, make sure you check what the website says about how they’ll use them before you agree.
Some things you post online can be easily deleted, but not everything. It can depend on who posted and where it’s been shared. If you’re not sure whether you can take something down, there lots of things you can try.
Lots of social media sites will let you take posts, images and videos down after you’ve posted them. Usually you can do this by visiting the help area of the website or by searching online for instructions you can follow.
Some websites and apps will let you delete your account. It can be good to do this for accounts you don’t use anymore or if you’ve posted things you’re worried about
If you use websites like Facebook, Twitter or Instagram, you can change your privacy settings to only allow your friends or followers to see your posts.
After that, check your friends list to see whether you know and trust everyone on it. Some people have separate accounts on social media, one for their ‘public’ online life and one that’s only for their trusted friends.
Sharing naked or sexual photos of videos of you without your consent is against the law. And if you’re under 18, it’s against the law for anyone to have a sexual image or video of you at all.
You can use Report Remove to get a nude image or video of you removed from the internet. You can also report any sexual images or videos posted of you to the websites or apps and most of them will take them down.
It can also be against the law to threaten to share someone’s nudes. If you’re worried about what’s happening, please talk to someone about it.
If you can’t delete things, see if you can edit them. You might be able to take out something you’ve said or remove any personal details.
You can’t always control whether something posted by another person is taken down, but there are things you can try.
If something’s been shared or posted by your friends or family, you can try asking them to delete it. It can help to be assertive and explain why you want it taken down and how it’s affecting you.
If someone’s bullying or being nasty to you online, you might also be able to report what’s happened to get it taken down.
You can contact search engines like Google and Bing and ask if they’ll be able to remove something.
Look at each search engine’s help section to find out how you can contact them. You can fill in a form on Google. Bing also have a form to fill in. You need a photo of yourself to send with these forms. You might find it helpful to ask an adult to support you with filling them in. The search engine will decide whether or not to remove the link.
Lots of apps and sites will set your profile to public automatically, which means that anyone can see what you’ve posted.
Changing your privacy settings can help to keep you safe, here’s how:
Snaps automatically disappear after they’re sent but they can still be screenshotted so it’s important to be careful.
To change your privacy settings on Snapchat, go to your profile and tap the gear icon. Scroll down to “Who can…”:
It can also help to remember:
if you’re in a group chat, anyone in the group can talk to you and see your messages.
Instagram sets your account to public automatically, which means that anyone can see what you do or post.
If your account is private, you can approve who can see your photos and videos, and only people who you’ve approved can comment on your posts.
To set your account as private:
Remember that you can still block and report anyone who is bullying you on Instagram
WhatsApp will automatically allow people to see what’s on your profile and when you were last on. Changing your privacy settings can help to keep you safe and stop people bullying or abusing you.
To change your settings:
You can change the following settings:
Your Tik Tok account is set to public automatically, that means that anyone can view or comment on your videos. It also means that people can search for your account on Tik Tok.
Change your privacy settings:
Changing these settings can help to keep your account safe:
There are lots of privacy settings on Facebook but there are a few simple steps you can make to help keep you safer. You can also use Facebook’s privacy check-up to get started.
Changing your privacy setting in the Facebook app
Important things to change on Facebook
Your tweets are set to public automatically, this means that anyone can reply, retweet or favourite what you tweet.
If you protect your tweets, people won’t be able to retweet you, and they can only view what you tweet if you approve them to follow you.
To protect your tweets:
Some things you post online can be easily deleted, but not everything. It can depend on who posted and where it’s been shared. If you’re not sure whether you can take something down, there lots of things you can try.
A strong password means that it’s hard for someone else to guess or for a computer to crack. Some people use password managers to store all of their passwords, but these can cost money and aren’t always secure so you need to be careful.
Use our tips for creating a strong password.
2-factor authentication adds another layer of security to your password by asking for another piece of information. For example, you might need to enter your password and then enter a code you’re sent via text message. It’s much more secure as passwords can be guessed or cracked.
Lots of apps and sites let you use 2-factor authentication, and you should choose to use it whenever you can.
Device and app updates include important security fixes, so it’s good to make sure you regularly download updates for your:
Each device is different, but you can usually find out how to enable updates in the settings.
It’s also important to use anti-virus software. You can get anti-virus software for mobiles as well as tablets, laptops and PCs. Make sure that you keep it updated or ask an adult to help you.
If you can’t delete things, see if you can edit them. You might be able to take out something you’ve said or remove any personal details.
Lots of websites will keep you logged in, even after you close them. If someone else has access to the phone or device you’re using then they might be able to log into your account.
If you’re using someone else’s device or someone else might have access to yours, make sure you:
There are lots of websites that will try to trick you or pretend to be something else.
Make sure any website you’re using has “https” at the start of the address so that you know it’s secure. Only enter your log in details when you’re absolutely sure it’s the right website, that the address is correct and it’s using https (at the front of the link in your browser bar).
If you’re worried, please make sure you talk to someone; whether it’s a parent, friend or one of KC’s Safeguarding Team
You can also check out some of the other resources below:
