Guide to Securing Social Media Accounts for Those Fleeing Domestic Violence

If you are fleeing a domestic violence situation, it's crucial to secure your social media accounts to protect your privacy and safety. This guide provides step-by-step advice for securing your accounts on Facebook, Instagram, Threads, TikTok, Twitter/X, Snapchat, and Reddit.

This page purposely doesn’t include any pictures for safety and to limit data usage for those in need.

Facebook

1. Privacy Settings:

  1. Log in to Facebook.

  2. Click on the downward arrow at the top right and select Settings & Privacy > Settings.

  3. Go to Privacy on the left menu.

  4. Adjust settings:

    • Who can see your future posts? Set to Friends or Only me.

    • Review all your posts and things you're tagged in. Use the Activity Log to manage past posts.

    • Limit the audience for old posts on your timeline. Click Limit Past Posts.

2. Profile and Tagging:

  1. Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Profile and Tagging.

  2. Adjust settings:

    • Who can post on your profile? Set to Only me.

    • Who can see posts you're tagged in on your profile? Set to Friends or Only me.

    • Review tags people add to your posts before the tags appear on Facebook? Enable this.

3. Login Security:

  1. Go to Settings & Privacy > Settings > Security and Login.

  2. Enable Two-Factor Authentication.

  3. Review and remove any unfamiliar devices under Where You're Logged In.

4. Block or Unfriend:

  1. Go to the profile of the person you want to block.

  2. Click the three dots on their profile and select Block or Unfriend.

Instagram

1. Privacy Settings:

  1. Log in to Instagram.

  2. Go to your profile and tap the three lines (menu) at the top right.

  3. Select Settings > Privacy.

  4. Toggle on Private Account.

2. Story and Post Controls:

  1. In Privacy, select Story.

  2. Adjust settings:

    • Hide Story From: Choose individuals to hide your story from.

    • Close Friends: Share stories only with close friends.

  3. Go back to Privacy and select Posts.

  4. Adjust settings:

    • Allow Tags From: Set to People You Follow or No One.

    • Manually Approve Tags: Toggle on to review tags before they appear.

3. Login Security:

  1. In Settings, select Security.

  2. Enable Two-Factor Authentication.

  3. Review Login Activity and remove any unfamiliar devices.

4. Block or Restrict:

  1. Go to the profile of the person you want to block or restrict.

  2. Tap the three dots at the top right and select Block or Restrict.