What is social media privacy, and why does it matter?

Social media has made it easier than ever to share things online. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, etc., are perfect for promoting your brand and connecting with your audience. 

Still, sharing stuff on social media is more public than, say, email or instant messaging. If you have a large following (yay, you!), lots of people will see your content. 

So it’s important to protect yourself, which is where social media privacy comes in. 

This article will answer:

• What is social media privacy?
• Why is privacy important in social media?
• What have platforms done to protect users’ privacy?
• BONUS TIP: find out below!

Social media privacy protects your sensitive information, messages, posts, and other content you don’t want the entire world to see. 

For example, users often choose to keep personal information private, like their email address, full name, date of birth, phone number, and so on.

If anyone views or accesses your private information on social media, it’s an invasion of privacy. This can happen in several ways, such as:

• Social media sites getting and recording the information without your knowledge or permission.
• Someone getting user information and selling it to third-party companies.

Social media platforms make it easy to promote your brand, connect with others in your industry, and interact with potential customers. But sharing content and interacting with strangers online always comes with some risks for businesses.

What risks are those?

Let’s take a look.

Posting content that another business owns (even if it’s to sing their praises) may violate their intellectual property, copyright, or trademark rights.

In addition, most social media sites have policies in place that prevents businesses from sharing other brands’ content. 

To avoid any issues, make sure you always get the other company’s consent before sharing any of their content. 

When posting content on social media, be mindful of how you share any reference to your clients, suppliers, clients, or other people you work with.

Simply resharing something these people have put online without their permission could be considered a breach of privacy.

So how do you avoid getting into trouble? 

Always ask if you can post the content on your social media channels. 

We’ve all heard the expression “knowledge is power”. With social media privacy, knowledge is protection. 

Understanding how social media privacy works can give you protection and more control over who sees your content and when. 

A key part is to learn how each platform protects your privacy. 

See also: how to maintain privacy on social media.

Did you know that most people have concerns regarding their personal data privacy? 

According to Statista, a combined 86% of people worry about their data getting hacked, stolen, or otherwise misused. 

Aware of this concern, social media companies try to be transparent about data collection and give control back to the user.

Facebook gives users control over their content and who sees it. This includes your posts, friends list, location, profile, and more. 

Security tools like two-factor authentication, login alerts, and trusted contacts help prevent an account from being accessed without authorisation. 

You can read everything you need to know about how Facebook uses your business data on their Privacy and Data use business hub page. 

Facebook also publishes Transparency Reports that contain all its information about community standards and safety measures. 

Similar to Facebook, Twitter’s Transparency Centre details all the information you need to know about the company and its privacy policies. 

Twitter also has a Brand Safety policy in place to ensure a safe advertising experience for both consumers and brands. 

In Snapchat’s Privacy Centre, you can read a bunch of topics about how the platform protects your privacy. 

Similar to Twitter, Snapchat also has a Brand Safety policy in place to protect brands and consumers alike. 

The TikTok for Business Privacy Policy outlines exactly how the platform collects, processes, uses and shares your information.

TikTok also takes action to protect brands that use the platform. You can read more about that on this page.

Your financial data is among the most sensitive information you have, and your business’ survival depends on keeping it safe. 

That’s why every business owner should use accounting software that’s secure. Even better: secure, reliable and efficient. 
Countingup is the two-in-one business account and accounting software that lets you manage your financial data from one app. It’s simple, safe, and straightforward!