I’ll never forget when a good friend of mine sat down next to me several years ago. She had just Googled herself and realized how much information about herself was available online. She saw her family vacations, restaurants she’d eaten at, her photos. She literally sighed in defeat and asked me, “How do people have any privacy anymore?”

I had to admit that I didn’t know. With smartphones, social media, and the internet sucking us all in daily life, privacy can seem like a lost cause. But through years of both posting too much information and learning how to take a step back, I’ve discovered some ways to live a private life while still maintaining a presence online.

In this article, we’re going to cover 12 ways you can keep your life private while still enjoying the internet. No tuning into WiFi signals in your attic required (well, maybe for one)…

1. Audit Your Online Presence

If you want to know how to keep your personal life private, start from square one. Every internet stranger who wants to find out information about you is going to Google you first.

Start by googling yourself. Take note of what comes up.
Scroll through your social media accounts and delete old posts that you don’t want the world to see.
Go through your privacy settings on every platform. Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, blogs…if you’ve ever created an account for anything, you probably want to look it over.

Once you know what people can see about you online, you can begin to clean it up!

2. Limit What You Share on Social Media

Social media is fun and a great way to stay connected with friends. However, it can also be harmful to your privacy if you’re not mindful about what you share. Limit what you post about yourself online as much as possible.

Only post photos and information that you wouldn’t mind the entire world knowing.
Don’t include your location in posts or use features like “checking in” to places.
Use your friend lists or followers settings to limit who can view certain posts.
Don’t post things like life events, breakups, personal conflicts, etc.

The less people know about you, the better.

3. Protect Your Devices

On a device you own, you should feel like you have complete control. Make sure of it.

Use a passcode or fingerprint lock on your phone and computer.
Enable two-factor authentication on any accounts that offer it.
Set up your devices to update automatically so you don’t miss critical security patches.

Your phone, computer, and tablet should be your castle. Secure the gates.

4. Be Aware of Where You Allow Location Tracking

Another thing most people don’t realize is how often our locations are tracked.

Apps track you. Websites track you. Search engines track you. Even your phone wants to know where you are!

Turn off location services on apps that don’t need it. Don’t post your location online. Get a VPN for using public WiFi. You’d be surprised how often people broadcast where they are every day.

5. Protect Your Personal Conversations

Choose encryption whenever possible. Don’t discuss personal things in public. Or on your boss’s computer. Or really anywhere that you’re sharing your screen with someone.

Email and texting are dangerously casual ways to communicate. Be skeptical of anyone asking for personal information over these formats—phishing is everywhere.

Your words are powerful. Only allow them to appear where you intend them to.

6. Keep Your Friends List Private

This is another sneaky way that people can find information about you. By allowing someone to see your friends, family, and contacts, they can do a deep dive into your personal life.

Make your friends list private on social media. Don’t tag people in photos without their permission. Think twice before you accept a request from someone you don’t know.

People often have ways into your life that you don’t expect. Limit the access others have to your friends list.

7. Don’t Share Financial Information

This should go without saying, but bank accounts, credit cards, and transactions are private for a reason. Don’t broadcast this information online.

Identity theft is a real problem. And if someone can steal your identity, they can literally ruin your life.

Don’t post about sensitive purchases. Don’t list your account numbers online. Don’t even post your Social Security card selfie.

There’s never a good reason to share your financial information with strangers.

8. Use Caution on Public Wi-Fi

Public WiFi is wonderful, but did you know that hackers love sitting outside of public WiFi signals attempting to access people’s devices?

Once they’re in, they can steal your information. So keep yourself safe.

Avoid accessing bank accounts or sensitive information when using public internet.
Get yourself a VPN that you trust. (We love NordVPN.)
Turn off your device’s ability to search for and connect to new WiFi networks automatically.

You browse the internet on public WiFi every day. Don’t let someone steal your purse while you do it.

9. Clean Up Your Digital Footprint

You read articles. You shop online. You visit blogs when you want to know about something.

Even if you don’t post information about yourself online, you’re still leaving trails everywhere you go. Take control.

Clear your cookies and cache on a monthly basis.
Use Incognito Mode when browsing for personal topics.
Be picky about what newsletters you sign up for and what apps you allow to access your information.

Your digital footprint is like cleaning your room. Avoid the shame of someone coming over unexpectedly.

10. Limit What You Share With Acquaintances

Don’t get me wrong, your close friends and family will always know what’s going on with you. But we all have those “friends” from high school, coworkers that we only talk to when it’s related to work, and that fun cousin we only see twice a year.

These people don’t need to know your life story. Keep your personal information between your real friends and family.

11. Think Twice Before You Post That Photo or Video

I can’t tell you how many times I see people post seemingly innocent pictures online that give away so much personal information.

If you’re ever going to post a photo or video of yourself online, ask yourself this question: “Does this really need to be on the internet?”

It might not be great for your phone’s memory or social media feed, but that selfie could be living on a hacker’s computer forever.

You’d be surprised what photos people post without any thought.

12. Set Boundaries

Privacy comes down to setting good boundaries with the people in your life and with technology.

Decide what information you’re willing to share on what platforms. Don’t feel obligated to reply to someone right away. Live a life off the internet too.

Set healthy boundaries, and others will follow your lead.

Conclusion

Privacy is difficult these days. It’s hard to feel like you can live your life without having to worry about every screenshot or share. But if you take steps to live more privately, you’ll feel less scared of letting your guard down once in a while.

Implement some or all of these 12 ways to keep your life private and start living freely without fear of your information being stealable.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Isn’t it impossible to have any privacy on the internet?
A: Near impossible. But you can still take strides to limit what information about you is publicly available.

Q: How can I stay private without deleting all my social media?
A: Use privacy settings. Don’t share personal information. Don’t tag locations. Create private friend/follower lists.

Q: Do I really need to use those fancy encrypted messaging services?
A: No, not for talking to your friends about what you had for lunch. But using encrypted services can help you keep your more private conversations private.

Q: How often should I Google myself?
A: Try every six months. Put it on your Google Calendar. Stay on top of your digital presence.

Q: Will these tips keep me safe from hackers?
A: While there’s no sure-fire way to prevent someone from attempting to access your information, taking these precautions will keep you much safer than 99% of the internet.

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12 Ways to Keep Your Life Private