Technology

5 social media safety tips to protect your privacy online

Published

1 month ago

October 29, 2025

5 social media safety tips to protect your privacy online

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Let’s face it: Social media can feel like a minefield. Between oversharing personal details, friend requests from strangers and sneaky scams sliding into your DMs, it’s easy to put yourself at risk without realizing it. But staying safe online doesn’t have to be complicated. With a few smart settings and habits, you can enjoy social media without giving away more than you mean to.

Settings and menus on social media platforms can change over time and may vary by device (iOS vs. Android vs. Web) or region. The steps below were accurate at the time of publishing, but you may see slightly different wording or paths depending on updates, app version or mobile device manufacturer.

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HOW TO REMOVE YOUR PERSONAL INFO FROM PEOPLE-SEARCH SITES

1) Turn off Location Sharing

Many apps automatically tag your posts with your location. That can let strangers know your routines or even your home address.

Scammers have a harder time learning about your life the less you share online. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

How to turn off Location Sharing

On iPhone

Go to Settings.
Click Privacy & Security.
Tap Location Services.
Then pick the app.
Set it to “Never” or “While Using the App.”

On Android

(Settings may vary depending on your Android phone’s manufacturer.)

Go to Settings.
Tap Location.
Click App permissions.
Then select the app and toggle location off or select Don’t allow.

Note: Some apps may still have permission for “While using the app” or “Only this time.” So, you should check each app individually, especially camera and social-media apps, for location permissions.

Pro tip: Even turning off location for just your camera app helps keep photos from carrying hidden location data.

META TO ALLOW TEENS’ PARENTS TO DISABLE PRIVATE CHATS WITH AI AFTER BACKLASH OVER FLIRTY CHATBOTS

Parents — and even some teens — are growing increasingly concerned about the effects of social media use on young people. (AP Photo/Kiichiro Sato, File)

2) Use a private account

A private account means only people you approve can see your posts and photos. Think of it like putting a lock on your front door.

How to set private accounts

Facebook

Go to Settings & Privacy.
Tap Settings.
Scroll to the Audience & Visibility (or Your Activity) section.
Click Posts.
Find “Who can see your future posts?” and set it to Friends.

Instagram

Tap your profile.
Tap the menu (☰).
Tap Account Privacy.
Toggle on Private account.

TikTok

Go to your Profile.
Tap the menu (☰).
Select Settings and privacy.
Tap Privacy.
Toggle on Private account.

X (formerly Twitter)

Click on your profile icon in the top left of the screen.
Open Settings and privacy.
Select Privacy and safety.
Tap Audience and tagging.
Toggle Protect your posts (or Protect your Tweets).
Once enabled, only approved followers can see your posts.

Snapchat

Open Settings (gear icon).
Scroll to Privacy Controls.
Under “Who Can,” adjust options like Contact Me, View My Story and See Me in Quick Add to Friends only.

YouTube

Go to your YouTube Studio (desktop or mobile app).
When uploading, set visibility to Private or Unlisted.
For existing videos, open the video’s settings and change visibility as needed.

Note: Entire channels cannot be made private, only individual videos.

LinkedIn

Tap your profile photo
Settings.
Go to Visibility.
Under Profile viewing options, select Private mode.
You can also control who sees your connections and activity under “Visibility of your LinkedIn activity.”

Identity theft has become so commonplace that it no longer shocks you to hear about the latest scam. (Cyberguy.com)

3) Report suspicious accounts

Fake profiles are everywhere. Scammers may pose as friends, celebrities or even customer service reps. Reporting them helps keep you (and others) safe.

How to report an account

Facebook

Go to the fake or impersonating profile.
Tap the three-dot menu (Options).
Select Find support or report profile.
Choose a reason, such as pretending to be someone else.
Follow the on-screen prompts to submit the report.

Instagram

Go to the profile.
Tap the three-dot menu.
Select Report.
Choose a reason.
Follow the on-screen instructions to complete the report.

TikTok

Open the profile.
Tap the three-dot menu (or sometimes the Share icon).
Select Report.
Choose Report account.
Select the reason.
Submit the report.

X (formerly Twitter)

Go to the account profile.
Tap the three-dot or overflow icon.
Select Report.
Choose the type of issue.
If you’re reporting an entire profile rather than a single post, select Report @username from the profile page.

YouTube

Go to the channel page.
Tap the About tab (on desktop) or the three-dot menu (on mobile).
Select Report.
Choose the reason.
Submit the report.

Snapchat

Go to the user’s profile.
Tap the three-dot menu or gear icon.
Select Report.
Choose the reason.
Submit the report.

LinkedIn

Visit the fake or suspicious profile.
Tap the More button (or three dots).
Select Report abuse.
Select a reason and follow the prompts.

Pro tip: Don’t just block. Report alerts to the platform so they can remove the account for everyone.

With a few smart settings and habits, you can enjoy social media without giving away more than you mean to. (Thai Liang Lim/Getty Images)

4) Enable two-factor authentication (2FA)

Even if someone steals your password, 2FA makes it harder for them to break in. It adds an extra step, like a code texted to your phone.

How to enable two-factor authentication (2FA)

Facebook

Go to the menu and select Settings & Privacy, then Settings.
Tap Accounts Center.
Then click Password and Security.
Tap Two-factor authentication.
It may ask you to choose an account to set up two-factor authentication.
Choose your preferred method, such as an authentication app, text message or security key and follow the on-screen instructions.

Instagram

Go to your profile and open Settings.
Click Accounts Center.
Select Password and Security.
Then Two-Factor Authentication.
It may ask you to choose an account to set up two-factor authentication.
Choose your preferred method, such as an authentication app, text message or security key and follow the on-screen instructions.

TikTok

Go to your Profile.
Then open the Menu.
Select Settings and privacy.
Then, Security and permissions.
Tap 2-step verification.
Choose one or more verification methods, such as text message, email or an authentication app.
Click Turn On.
Follow the prompts to finish setup.

X (formerly Twitter)

Click on your profile on the upper left of the screen.
Open Settings and privacy.
Select Security and account access, then Security.
Tap Two-factor authentication.
Choose your preferred method, such as text message, authentication app or security key.
Follow the steps to turn it on.

Note: Text message (SMS) verification on X may only be available for paid (Premium) users or in certain regions. If SMS isn’t available, you can still use an authentication app or a physical security key for two-factor authentication.

Pro tip: Use an authenticator app (like Google Authenticator or Authy) instead of text messages for stronger protection.

5) Check your photos before posting

Your photos may reveal more than you think — house numbers, car license plates or even vacation details that signal you’re away from home.

Quick fixes before posting

Crop or blur backgrounds that show personal details.
Avoid posting in real time while traveling. Wait until you’re back.
Review old posts to make sure you’re not unintentionally sharing private info.

SOCIAL MEDIA VERIFICATION SYSTEMS LOSE POWER AS SCAMMERS PURCHASE CHECKMARKS TO APPEAR LEGITIMATE

Bonus tip: Keep personal info under wraps

Every time you post, share or comment online, you’re leaving small clues about your life, and scammers are great at putting those pieces together. The less information fraudsters can find about you, the weaker their scams become.

Many impersonators use public details like your hometown, workplace or family connections to build fake profiles that seem trustworthy. Even information like your email address or phone number can be exploited if it’s floating around the internet.

A personal data removal service can help reduce that risk by scrubbing your personal details from people search sites and data brokers. While no solution is perfect, minimizing your digital footprint makes you a much harder target for impersonation and social-engineering scams. These services actively monitor and systematically remove your information from hundreds of sites, saving you time and giving you peace of mind.

Protecting your privacy online isn’t just about what you share on social media; it’s also about controlling what’s out there already. Limiting that data means scammers can’t easily cross-reference your information with data from breaches or the dark web.

Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting CyberGuy.com.

Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: CyberGuy.com.

Kurt’s key takeaways

Staying safe on social media isn’t about deleting your accounts; it’s about taking control of your information. Turning off location sharing keeps your whereabouts private. Switching to a private account gives you more say over who sees your posts. Being cautious with friend requests and DMs helps you avoid scams. And double-checking your photos before posting prevents oversharing. With just a few quick settings and habits, you can enjoy social media with peace of mind.

Have you ever spotted a scam or fake account online? Tell us what happened by writing to us at CyberGuy.com.

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Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson is an award-winning tech journalist who has a deep love of technology, gear and gadgets that make life better with his contributions for Fox News & FOX Business beginning mornings on “FOX & Friends.” Got a tech question? Get Kurt’s free CyberGuy Newsletter, share your voice, a story idea or comment at CyberGuy.com.

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Technology

The Game Awards 2025: all the news and announcements

Published

7 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

The Game Awards 2025: all the news and announcements

The Game Awards are back once again to showcase a metric ton of commercials, provide the gaming public with their monthly dose of Muppets, and validate gamers’ opinions on which title should be named the Game of the Year. I don’t wanna say it’s a foregone conclusion what this year’s GOTY will be — Silksong may surprise us — but it’s pretty obvious that Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the frontrunner and for good reason. It’s netted 12 nominations, the most out of this year’s contenders, including all five craft awards (Direction, Art, Music and Score, Narrative, and Audio Design).

On the announcements side, Crystal Dynamics and Amazon Games are planning something related to the Tomb Raider series. Keighley also probably had plans to reveal big news about Resident Evil: Requiem, but unfortunately it got spoiled early thanks to some leaked key art on the PlayStation Store. Here’s all the news, announcements, and trailers from The Game Awards 2025.

Technology

Malicious browser extensions hit 4.3M users

Published

7 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

Malicious browser extensions hit 4.3M users

NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!

A long-running malware campaign quietly evolved over several years and turned trusted Chrome and Edge extensions into spyware. A detailed report from Koi Security reveals that the ShadyPanda operation affected 4.3 million users who downloaded extensions later updated with hidden malicious code.

These extensions began as simple wallpaper or productivity tools that looked harmless. Years later, silent updates added surveillance functions that most users could not detect.

THIS CHROME VPN EXTENSION SECRETLY SPIES ON YOU

Malicious extensions spread through trusted browsers and quietly collected user data for years. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

How the ShadyPanda campaign unfolded

The operation included 20 malicious Chrome extensions and 125 on the Microsoft Edge Add-ons store. Many first appeared in 2018 with no obvious warning signs. Five years later, the extensions began receiving staged updates that changed their behavior.

Koi Security found that these updates rolled out through each browser’s trusted auto-update system. Users did not need to click anything. No phishing. No fake alerts. Just quiet version bumps that slowly turned safe extensions into powerful tracking tools.

NEW EMAIL SCAM USES HIDDEN CHARACTERS TO SLIP PAST FILTERS

WeTab functions as a sophisticated surveillance platform disguised as a productivity tool. (Koi)

What the extensions were doing behind the scenes

Once activated, the extensions injected tracking code into real links to earn revenue from user purchases. They also hijacked searches, redirected queries and logged data for sale and manipulation. ShadyPanda gathered an unusually broad range of personal information, including browsing history, search terms, cookies, keystrokes, fingerprint data, local storage, and even mouse movement coordinates. As the extensions gained credibility in the stores, the attackers pushed a backdoor update that allowed hourly remote code execution. That gave them full browser control, letting them monitor websites visited and exfiltrate persistent identifiers.

Researchers also discovered that the extensions could launch adversary-in-the-middle attacks. This allowed credential theft, session hijacking and code injection on any website. If users opened developer tools, the extensions switched into harmless mode to avoid detection. Google removed the malicious extensions from the Chrome Web Store. We reached out to the company, and a spokesperson confirmed that none of the extensions listed are currently live on the platform.

Meanwhile, a Microsoft spokesperson told CyberGuy, “We have removed all the extensions identified as malicious on the Edge Add-on store. When we become aware of instances that violate our policies, we take appropriate action that includes, but is not limited to, the removal of prohibited content or termination of our publishing agreement.”

Most of you will not need the full technical IDs used in the ShadyPanda campaign. These indicators of compromise are primarily for security researchers and IT teams. Regular users should focus on checking your installed extensions using the steps in the guide below.

You can review the full list of affected Chrome and Edge extensions to see every ID tied to the ShadyPanda campaign by clicking here and scrolling down to the bottom of the page.

How to check whether your browser contains these extension IDs

Here is an easy, step-by-step way for you to verify if any malicious extension IDs are installed.

For Google Chrome

Open Chrome.

Type chrome://extensions into the address bar.

Press Enter.

Look for each extension’s ID.

Click Details under any extension.

Scroll down to the Extension ID section.

Compare the ID with the lists above.

If you find a match, remove the extension immediately.

For Microsoft Edge

Open Edge.

Type edge://extensions into the address bar.

Press Enter.

Click Details under each extension.

Scroll to find the Extension ID.

If an ID appears in the lists, remove the extension and restart the browser.

183 MILLION EMAIL PASSWORDS LEAKED: CHECK YOURS NOW

Simple security steps can block hidden threats and help keep your browsing safer. (Kurt “CyberGuy” Knutsson)

How to protect your browser from malicious extensions

You can take a few quick actions that help lock down your browser and protect your data.

1) Remove suspicious extensions

Before removing anything, check your installed extensions against the IDs listed in the section above. Most of the malicious extensions were wallpaper or productivity tools. Three of the most mentioned are Clean Master, WeTab and Infinity V Plus. If you installed any of these or anything that looks similar, delete them now.

2) Reset your passwords

These extensions have access to sensitive data. Resetting your passwords protects you from possible misuse. A password manager makes the process easier and creates strong passwords for each account.

Next, see if your email has been exposed in past breaches. Our No. 1 password manager pick includes a built-in breach scanner that checks whether your email address or passwords have appeared in known leaks. If you discover a match, immediately change any reused passwords and secure those accounts with new, unique credentials.

Check out the best expert-reviewed password managers of 2025 at Cyberguy.com.

3) Use a data removal service to reduce tracking

ShadyPanda collected browsing activity, identifiers and behavioral signals that can be matched with data already held by brokers. A data removal service helps you reclaim your privacy by scanning people-search sites and broker databases to locate your exposed information and remove it. This limits how much of your digital footprint can be linked, sold or used for targeted scams.

While no service can guarantee the complete removal of your data from the internet, a data removal service is really a smart choice. They aren’t cheap, and neither is your privacy. These services do all the work for you by actively monitoring and systematically erasing your personal information from hundreds of websites. It’s what gives me peace of mind and has proven to be the most effective way to erase your personal data from the internet. By limiting the information available, you reduce the risk of scammers cross-referencing data from breaches with information they might find on the dark web, making it harder for them to target you.

Check out my top picks for data removal services and get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web by visiting Cyberguy.com.

Get a free scan to find out if your personal information is already out on the web: Cyberguy.com.

4) Install strong antivirus software

An antivirus may not have caught this specific threat due to the way it operated. Still, it can block other malware, scan for spyware and flag unsafe sites. Many antivirus tools include cloud backup and VPN options to add more protection.

The best way to safeguard yourself from malicious links that install malware, potentially accessing your private information, is to have strong antivirus software installed on all your devices. This protection can also alert you to phishing emails and ransomware scams, keeping your personal information and digital assets safe.

Get my picks for the best 2025 antivirus protection winners for your Windows, Mac, Android & iOS devices at Cyberguy.com.

5) Limit your extensions

Each extension adds risk. Stick with known developers and search for recent reviews. If an extension asks for permissions it should not need, walk away.

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Kurt’s key takeaways

ShadyPanda ran for years without raising alarms and proved how creative attackers can be. A trusted extension can shift into spyware through a silent update, which makes it even more important to stay alert to changes in browser behavior. You protect yourself by installing fewer extensions, checking them from time to time and watching for anything that feels out of place. Small steps help lower your exposure and reduce the chances that hidden code can track what you do online.

Have you ever found an extension on your browser that you didn’t remember installing or one that started acting in strange ways? How did you handle it? Let us know by writing to us at Cyberguy.com.

Sign up for my FREE CyberGuy Report
Get my best tech tips, urgent security alert, and exclusive deals delivered straight to your inbox. Plus, you’ll get instant access to my Ultimate Scam Survival Guide — free when you join my CYBERGUY.COM newsletter.

Technology

The Game Awards are losing their luster

Published

19 hours ago

December 11, 2025

Press Room

It’s Game Awards season, y’all. That special time of the year when we gather together to celebrate video games and the people who make them… by watching expensive commercials briefly punctuated by the odd awards speech or musical performance. For better or worse, The Game Awards is the biggest night on the video game event calendar. But with the way things have been going, lately it’s been more “worse” than it has been “better.”

Between host and industry hypeman Geoff Keighley’s two video game vanity projects, The Game Awards is older and ostensibly more mature than Summer Game Fest. Conceived in 2014 as a way to celebrate both the people who make and play games, the show has always been part awards ceremony, part commercial product. That idea has been executed with varying degrees of success. (Remember the Schick Hydrobot?) But for the last few years, it’s felt like the awards part was increasingly getting in the way of the commercial part.

Alas, poor Hydrobot, we knew him well.

Photo by John Sciulli/Getty Images for Schick

That was felt most acutely during the 2023 Game Awards. Developers accepting statues were often drowned out by music or cut off by teleprompters asking them to “please wrap it up” after their roughly 30 seconds of allotted time. Muppets and Death Stranding director Hideo Kojima, though, had no such time limits enforced on them, with Aftermath calculating that 13 acceptance speeches could have fit inside the five minutes Kojima took to explain his game / not-game OD.

2023 was also the first full year into the now endemic video game labor crisis that saw developers laid off by the tens of thousands while studios of popular games got shut down. That crisis went by that year’s game awards with no acknowledgement, angering developers further. “I’m incredibly disappointed in Geoff Keighley for his silence on the state of the industry this year,” Monomi Park senior environment artist Dillon Sommerville told The Verge in 2023.

How to watch The Game Awards

On Thursday, December 11th at 5PM PT / 8PM ET the TGAs will be streamed on Twitch and YouTube. This year, Keighley has also signed a deal to beam the show live via Prime Video where it’ll be free to watch for Prime subscribers.

Keighley, perhaps responding to the bad optics, acknowledged the continuing labor issue in 2024. The Game Awards also introduced a new category, Game Changer, with its inaugural award going to Amir Satvat, a business development director at Tencent who created a resource to help laid-off developers find jobs.

But in the months since the 2024 awards, Keighley has once again been accused of poor treatment of the people he’s supposed to be celebrating. In 2020, The Game Awards announced a new initiative called The Future Class, designed to celebrate game makers, “who represent the bright, bold and inclusive future of video games.” Inductees are honored during the broadcast and provided with networking opportunities, mentorship programs, and other resources throughout the following year. However, there have been reports alleging that Keighley has ignored Future Class concerns and that resources from the program have been materially lacking.

In 2023, the Future Class wrote an open letter to The Game Awards and Keighley demanding recognition of the war in Gaza. This wasn’t without precedent. In 2022, the awards show acknowledged the war in Ukraine. But Keighley didn’t respond to the letter, nor has he mentioned the Future Class that much either. The Game Awards hasn’t named a Future Class in the last two years and won’t be naming anymore according to Future Class organizer Emily Weir. “At this time, we are not planning a new Future Class for this year and do not have any active programming plans for Future Class,” she said in a statement to Game Developer.

Gif of a curly haired man named Pedro Eustache playing an alto flute

Pedro Eustache, affectionately known as Flute Guy, has confirmed he will be performing at The Game Awards.

Gif: The Game Awards

Like a lot of diversity and inclusion-minded programs, Future Class got started in the wake of George Floyd’s murder in 2020. But as diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) have become publicly verboten in the rise of the Trump Administration and the online right, many companies, including game publishers, have diminished or jettisoned their DEI programs. While there has been no explicitly stated reason for the seeming shut down of the Future Class, it seems like The Game Awards is just doing what it always does — whatever’s popular at the time.

For as much as The Game Awards has lost the veneer of respectability among some of the people whose work it’s meant to celebrate, rest assured, it ain’t going anywhere. The Game Awards broadcast nets millions of viewers with a record-breaking 154 million livestreams in 2024. That’s a lot of eyeballs that developers pay a lot of money to get in front of. And even for those who don’t buy airtime, having your game featured at all during the presentation can net a big boost in sales. After Balatro was nominated for and won multiple awards last year including best debut indie, its publisher PlayStack shouted out the awards specifically for contributing to a huge increase in players.

More generally, the awards also provide a nice focal point for the disparate online gaming communities to gather around… and bitch about. E3 is long gone, and the other big events (not also run by Keighley) are the publisher-specific direct livestreams. With everything so fractured now, yelling with your friends or colleagues about how Hades was robbed for game of the year (an event I will never get over) is fun and something TGAs are singularly suited to provide. It is not the Oscars of gaming — DICE, the BAFTAs, and the International Game Development Awards (IGDA) pretty well take care of that. But if you want popularity, production values, and Flute Guy, there’s nothing like The Game Awards — even though some of the shine is starting to wear off.

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