Easy settings you could change on your devices today to protect your privacy
Introduction
Have you ever noticed how the day you have an argument with a friend all you see on social media is how family is the only backbone you have or you can only trust your family but the day you fight with your brother or your sister or even your mother, social media is flooded with quotes like “the blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the womb” or how the relationships you choose matter more than the relationships that you have a duty towards. Have you ever wondered why? It all has a simple yet nerve wrecking explanation, the fact that everything you do is traced by companies because emotion sells. What about where else is this being sold? Your data, your privacy, your activities, your movement all of these are being sold to the government.
What is privacy in the digital era?
Privacy; a very commonly used term with a fading definition, once meant the right to keeping things private. What really is private now with everything being traced digitally, every location, every step, every swipe, every moment. Your devices are tracking everything, there are eyes with every lens, ears with every mic, brains with the rapid increase of machine learning and artificial intelligence. With the increasing risk of privacy invasion due to such easy access to data about you, there are certain measures you can take to protect your data.
When talking about privacy in the digital era it is all about data privacy because everything normal for you is data for the company that they can use and put you at a risk. So what exactly is data privacy? The access, use, modification or destruction of your data should be done legally and be stored securely only for the purpose it was intended for (Chris Brook, What is Data Privacy? Top Risks & Best Practices (Digitalguardian, 2024)).
Why should you consider these settings for yourself?
The constant feeding of data can put you at risk of multiple concerning activities like identity theft, the training of various softwares, it does not sound so serious just yet does it? The training of softwares could use your images that you upload on social media or to trace your habits, including where you work or where you live. What time do you get up and every time you go to buy groceries under the pretense of just giving you a fitness report or helping you optimize your daily routine whilst all of it is being used as a surveillance method. Here is a list of a few basic setting options you can change today in your devices without being a Tech Guru.
Setting 1: Location Access on Apps
Many Apps use your location on a day to day basis. Apps like Appstore on iOS or Google play store do not really require your precise location but will be able to access it at all times. Certain apps like maps do require your location for their intended purpose but even those apps do not need access to your location at all times. Permitting free access to your location at all times is not mandatory (Ned Thornton, How Does Location Tracking Affect Your Privacy?: What Big Tech Doesn’t Want You To Know (privacy end 2025)). It is also very convenient for you to change such settings within a couple of minutes.
How to change (iOS)
- Go to settings
- Go to Privacy & Security
- Go to Location Services
- Change to “Allow while using app” or “Never”
How to change (Android)
- Go to settings
- Go to Location
- Select App location permissions
- Change to “Allow only when in use” or “Deny”
- Is this setting for you or not?
- If you permit apps to access your location at all times, they can access your daily movement which could put you at risk of being victim to malicious activities. If data collectors do not follow specific protocol then you would be unable to protect your identity. If you are someone who has a very specific day to day routine or maybe have high profile clientele for your business. You may want to keep your location access very limited.
- Setting 2: Personalized Ads Access
- Ever noticed how when you talk to a friend about wanting a hair transplant, the ads on your phone are about where to find clinics which facilitate hair transplant near you. Near you is done via location tracking but what about hair transplant, how do the clinics know you want a hair transplant? They don’t but Facebook does and so does your device because even they have ears. For personalized ads multiple data points are being used and providing you very specific ads. This interlink of data can be easily disrupted by how you decide to provide permissions.
- How to change (iOS)
- Go to settings
- Go to Privacy
- Select Tracking
- Turn it off
- How to change (Android)
- Go to settings
- Select Google
- Select Ads
- Turn on the option “Opt out of Ads Personalization
- Is this setting for you or not?
- The problem with personalized ads is that sometimes the ads can be extremely outrageous and even concerning, for example, you are trying to get over an addiction and you search on google “How do I quit smoking?”, these personalized ads may show you expensive and more addictive alternatives such as vapes or nicotine pouches. If you are someone who is easily influenced by ads or act on your impulses. You might wanna consider turning off the access for this on your device.
- Setting 3: Disable Voice Assistants
- Notice how even conversations with friends show up on ads without searching anything in google. That is because your devices are always listening in for the voice command of “hey Siri” or “Hey Google”. The convenience they provide is just a fraction compared to the privacy breach they commit.
- How to change (iOS)
- Go to settings
- Select Siri
- Select Talk to Siri
- Choose the option “Off”
- How to change (Google Assistant )
- Go to Google Account
- Select Data and Personalization
- Select “Web & App Activity”
- Turn off “Include voice and audio recordings”
- Is this setting for you or not?
- If you are someone who does not mind being eavesdropped on, or prefer the convenience of being able to call people without even touching your phone. This setting might not be for you. It is just a quality of life features on phone with a heavy cost of data breach because let’s be real we all have things we would talk only with specific people and would not want anyone else listening in. The training purpose could always mean training AI or their own staff, so you would never really know who is listening on the other end.
- Setting 4: Close Social Media Profiles
- If your social media is out in the public then you are giving access to random strangers access to your daily life. People can trace your home address or use your pictures for identity theft. A simple preference may cause a lot of complications and have negative implications on your day to day life.
- How to change (Facebook)
- Go to settings
- Go to Privacy
- Change “who can see your future posts?” To “friends” or “only me”
- How to change (Instagram/Twitter)
- Go to settings
- Go to Account privacy
- Change your account to private
- Is this setting for you or not?
- If you are someone who is trying to grow an audience or does not care about your pictures being on the web for everyone to view, then maybe not for you.
- Additional ways to take extra precautions
- These were just easy ways to protect a fraction of your privacy. You can also take certain other measures to protect more, such as not using the same password for multiple websites, using strong unique passwords, and not saving passwords on your devices. To avoid financial malpractices you can avoid saving your bank details or credit card information on your devices. Moreover, avoid using public wifi networks as wifi interconnects all of your data and has access to your data. It can easily be breached by any hacker. If you want to protect your wifi at home you can disable remote access and enable WPA3 or WPA2 encryption to add an extra layer of security. If needed to connect in a public wifi network use a VPN.
- Conclusion
- Knowing all that is going on around you really does change your perspective on everyday mundane activities. The actively used plethora of devices on an interlinked surface does really invade your privacy in multiple aspects. The consent of using your data stays on a fine print, as convenient as devices get they can also be used as a tool for malpractices. The use of devices do make life a lot easier and simpler but it comes with the cost of your privacy. Even though eliminating the entirety of the digital footprint may not be possible, certain key setting options like your location, social media and voice recordings can be easily protected. Privacy is no more just about keeping secrets but also about protecting your identity and crucial key information such as bank details from strangers, every setting you change can be a preventive measure.
- References
- Chris Brook, What is Data Privacy? Top Risks & Practices, FORTRA Data Loss Prevention(Jul. 9, 2024), https://www.digitalguardian.com/blog/what-data-privacy-top-risks-best-practices
- Ned Thornton, How Does Location Tracking Affect Your Privacy?: What Big Tech Doesn’t Want You To Know, PRIVACY END (Apr. 23, 2025), https://www.privacyend.com/how-location-tracking-affects-privacy/
Author: Tapan Tyagi
