Danger Alert: 10 Smartphone Privacy Settings You Must Fix Today

Smartphone privacy has been one of the major factors that users often tend to ignore or overlook. When we talk about privacy settings, we are completely talking about certain privacy and private information that we may not have complete control over. As much as we want to keep them private, there are certain applications or platforms that require certain personal information before you gain access to them.

When we talk about privacy settings, we are talking about the type of data that belongs to you, information you can control and protect. An example of what we are talking about is Facebook; there is certain vital information that is required before you have access to the app, such as your name, date of birth, other biographic information, and more.

Speaking to Mr Daniel Ishaku, who is the CEO of Toko Academy, he also shared his take on the aspect of privacy management that might be used by certain systems or apps or platforms.

“I think the most important settings are before setting in; okay, before you even go to settings in the first place, I think the first thing is for you to always read the terms and conditions and read the privacy policy of the applications you are going to use. An example is TikTok: when you’re going to be on TikTok, for example, TikTok requires that you allow them to record your keyboard strokes on your phone. So whatever you type on your TikTok application, they actually record your keyboard strokes, what you’re typing, the pace and what you’re searching and all of that.

And I think in some cases, it extends beyond just the TikTok application alone; when you use the main Facebook, not the lite version, there are a number of things going on that many are not aware of. The application actually tracks even your phone calls. So Facebook can track how many phone calls you make in a day? How many WhatsApps do you install? What apps do you uninstall? What do you search on, your search engines and all of that? But you can clearly turn off that kind of tracking on your Facebook application. You can also turn off link history on the Facebook application because that means that they can see any link that you visit on your browser, and they can use that to recommend ads or to personalise your experience on Facebook. So whenever you get anything that is personalised on any application, it’s always in exchange for more data: who you are, what you do, your behaviour, and your activities on the internet. So as much as possible, I recommend that if you must use these platforms, use them at your discretion. Use them with wisdom, not to just give away whatever information that’s about you.

So I think it’s good for people to make their decision of whether they want to give that kind of information to TikTok or not, but as long as you want to be on TikTok, then those are things that you have.”

He also recommends that users should try and be using a different mail when it has to do with signing up on social media and other platforms.

“It is recommended that people should use a different mail address; use one email address for your banking application, your work, and your credentials; and use a different email address from the one you use on your social media, such as Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and platforms that require email signup. It is not safe to use one email for both social media and confidential platforms, so I recommend that you always have different email addresses for what you do.”

Moving further on, one of the certain things you need to do in order to keep certain information private is the use of biometrics for your bank transfer and other payment platforms; the biometric authentication has made things easier and faster.

“I don’t think anything is wrong with biometrics; I think it’s secure. It’s fine. There are risks to everything, anyway; you can be sleeping, and somebody might use your hand and authenticate your app.

The most likely one to happen is when someone gets to know your phone password, and he gets to add his own biometric to the phone, which means he also has the chance to access whatever platform that will require biometrics as the ultimate means for entry. But that is less likely to happen, right? So I think it’s very safe, and it’s a good initiative by tech providers.”

Moving further to the steps at which users can limit the information they share of certain platforms Mr Ishaku gave a brief but educated context

“I think every smart device has an app manager, and those app managers have a place for permissions, so I think it’s good for you to review permissions on your device once in a while. When you go to your app manager and go to permissions for applications, you will see the ones that have access to your location, access to calls, access to messages, access to your screen and so on and so forth, even your keyboard.

Some have access to your keyboard and all of that, so you can always review it by yourself manually and turn off the ones that you don’t think are necessary to have that kind of permission. So always review your applications on your phone, go to permissions and review the permissions that you are giving to that.

Secondly, on your browser, you can also go to permissions. There are sites that actually ask for permission, and sometimes it might be mistaken that you allow them, so it is good to always review that also.

Go to your browser, go to your permissions for sites, see what site you’re giving permissions to, and try to revoke them. Book or review it at least once a week, or once in two weeks; if possible, it should be frequently. It’s important to do that. Okay?”

Here are 10 privacy settings you should use to secure your digital footprint:

1. Limit Ad Tracking: Opt out of personalised ads in your mobile device (iOS/Android) and browser settings to prevent companies from building a profile on you.
2. Restrict App Permissions: Review and revoke app access to sensitive data like contacts, microphones, and cameras, especially if they are unnecessary for the app’s function.
3. Control Location Services: Set app location access to “Never” or “Ask next time” rather than “Always”, and turn off location history.
4. Use 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication): Enable 2FA on all important accounts, preferably using an authenticator app rather than SMS, to prevent unauthorised access.
5. Disable Lock Screen Notifications: Hide message previews on your lock screen so sensitive information is not visible to others.
6. Block Third-Party Cookies: Configure your web browser (Chrome, Safari, or Firefox) to block trackers and third-party cookies to stop cross-site tracking.
7. Disable “OK Google” or “Siri”: Turn off voice-activated assistants to prevent them from constantly listening for wake words.
8. Turn Off Personalised Ads on Social Media: Go into settings on Facebook, Google, and LinkedIn to prevent them from using your profile data to tailor ads.
9. Disable P2P Updates (Windows): Turn off “Allow downloads from other PCs” in Windows Delivery Optimisation to stop sharing your bandwidth and data with others.
10. Enable Find My Device/Remote Wipe: Ensure this is active so you can locate, lock, or erase your device if it is stolen.