Enhancing Online Secrecy
The trend of short-form video content has taken the internet by storm, with platforms like TikTok introducing features like anonymous story viewer Viewers to keep users engaged. These features allow users to check on the activities of their friends and acquaintances in real-time, making it increasingly difficult to maintain a private online presence. While it can be interesting to track our loved ones, monitoring our online presence and enhancing our online security features is crucial in today’s cyber era.
When using apps that integrated Story Viewers, many users opt to disengage these capabilities as they pertain to them immediately and quietly. However, it’s essential for users to continue controlling, on both their accounts and installed social apps, and make informed decisions about online presence. Most modern social media platforms grant users complete control over their privacy settings.
Take YouTube, for instance. From the app’s main profile page, users can swipe left to access the ‘Quick Settings’ menu and then tap ‘See first’ to opt out of reading stories. Even though seeing the most recent stories being posted by your acquaintances was convenient, you can very well make do without reading about such activities to save more opportunities to keep your digital life private.
Alternatively, most platforms do permit you to view your received activity notifications from privacy features directly. Here are a few things that users could consider opting for privacy features from their viewers:
- Disabling read receipts on calls to limit users in what they’re being exposed to
- Rejecting data tracking to only keep friends listed in contacts apps
- Using grayscale color schemes perhaps smaller resolution and mono colors
- Users making use of Custom story viewers to limit the audience in their views.
To secure their personal as well as digital data, from direct views in the app user has the absolute authority. Users must not underestimate these easy to implement controls since, when appropriately used, help protect users’ safety from unwanted publicity as well as to safeguard their choices.
