Staying Safe Online: Information Every Family Should Know

Wichita Kansas | February 2, 2026

Planeta Venus

Infographic made with AI by Planeta Venus

Digital information can help us in many ways, like finding a job or staying in touch with family. But it can also be misused to mislead, exploit, or invade our privacy. This article explains how your online data is collected and used, why it matters, and what you can do right now to protect yourself and your family. Each step is practical and comes with trusted resources you can use to learn more and stay safe online.

At Planeta Venus we are always caring for the safety of our community. This is why we asked an expert to share information on how to protect our cellular phones.

As technology becomes an increasingly important part of our daily lives, it is more important than ever to understand how it works.

If you are not careful, you might share a lot of private information about yourself and your family with big companies that may not have your best interests at heart.

The good news is that there are easy ways to limit what you share. Learning the basics and updating the settings on your phone and apps is a simple yet effective way to protect your online safety and privacy.

How your digital information is used

When we post online, we might not think about how that information could be used. Even sharing a photo at work or in a park can give away your location and let others know where you are.

Even more concerning, our phones often track our location constantly. Unless we change the settings, many apps collect this information for ads and profiling. Some platforms also share this data with law enforcement and other third parties.

Public information

Most social media sites display your profile information to the public by default. This means anyone searching for you online can find out things like where you work, whom you know, and even where you spend your time, depending on what you share.

You should change your settings so only people you know can see your information. It's even better to share as little as possible on these platforms.

Data sharing

Social media platforms have Terms of Service which permit them to share the information they collect with third parties, including advertisers, enforcement agencies, and others.

You can limit this by changing the settings in each app, but remember that these platforms want to collect as much data as possible. The best way to protect yourself is to be careful about what you share online.

Ways to improve your online privacy

Here are some steps you can take right now to improve your online safety and privacy.

• Disabling mobile location services

Both iOS and Android phones track your GPS location by default. Many apps, especially social media apps, also collect this location data for the reasons mentioned earlier.

You can turn off location services completely on both iOS and Android, but doing so can make some apps, such as Google Maps, less useful. Instead, you can stop certain apps from accessing your location.

On iOS, in Settings, search for “Location Services”. From there, you can see a list of apps and choose what access each one has. On Android, go to Settings > Location> App location permissions.

• Use encrypted messaging: Signal

Download the Signal app to your phone for greater security in your conversations.

Instead of using something like Facebook Messenger, Instagram messaging, or even standard text messages, use a messaging app that guarantees end-to-end encryption for every message you send.

Signal is a trusted and widely used option. Anyone can use it with just a phone number. Messages sent through Signal are private, and even Signal cannot read them, so your conversations stay completely secure.

Facebook privacy settings

Facebook has a “Privacy Checkup” page in its app where you can quickly review and change your privacy settings. This is a good place to begin.

Some of the more important options include:

●   Limit who can see your profile information: In Privacy Checkup → "Who can see what you share," set each category (phone, email, birthday, friends list) to "Friends" or "Only me."

●   Limit who can see your posts: In the same section, set your default audience to "Friends." Tap "Limit Past Posts" to change all previous public posts to Friends-only at once.

●   Don't show up in search engines: In Privacy Checkup → "How people can find you on Facebook," turn off "Do you want search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile?"

●   Hide your friends list: Settings & Privacy → Settings → How people find and contact you → Who can see your friends list → "Only me."

●   Disable location collection: Settings & Privacy → Settings → Location → Location History → turn off. Also, disable location access in your phone's app permissions.

One important thing to know about location data is that Facebook will still use your phone’s IP address to guess your location, even if you turn off location sharing.

Using a VPN can help prevent this, but most VPNs require a paid subscription. Some trusted choices are ProtonVPN, NordVPN, and ExpressVPN, but there are many others as well.

Instagram privacy setting

Instagram offers a "Privacy Checkup" within the app that walks you through key settings. To access all privacy options: tap your profile → the three-line menu (☰) → Settings and Privacy → Privacy.

Key settings to change:

●   Make your account private: Only approved followers can see your posts, stories, and reels

●   Manage location sharing: Don't add location to posts; disable location access in your phone's app permissions

●   Disable "Suggest your account to others": Prevents Instagram from recommending your profile to contacts and Facebook friends

●   Review linked apps: Remove access from third-party apps you no longer use or do not trust (Settings → Account Center → Password and Security → Apps and websites)

●   Enable two-factor authentication: Adds extra security to prevent unauthorized access

●   Control who can tag or mention you: Require manual approval before tags appear on your profile

●   Turn off Activity Status: Prevents others from seeing when you're online

●   Limit who can message you: Control message requests from non-followers

For more information, visit the Instagram Help Center.

TikTok privacy settings

Recently, the ownership of TikTok in the US changed. Now, the data TikTok collects from US users is stored in the United States.

TikTok also changed its privacy policy to allow collecting precise GPS location data, instead of just an approximate location. This data is stored by Oracle. Larry Ellison, Oracle’s CEO, has said, “Citizens will be on their best behavior because we are constantly recording and reporting everything that’s going on.”

Because of these changes, it is more important than ever to update your TikTok privacy settings. Here are some steps you can take.

●   Disable location access: In your phone's settings (not the app), go to Apps → TikTok → Permissions → Location → Don't Allow.

●   Disable personalized ads: In Settings and Privacy → Ads → Ad personalization, toggle off.

●   Make your account private: In Privacy, toggle on "Private account." Only approved followers will see your videos.

●   Disable account suggestions: In Privacy → Suggest your account to others, turn off syncing with contacts and Facebook friends.

●   Control who can interact with you: In Privacy, set Comments, Duets, Stitch, and Direct Messages to "Friends" or "No one."

●   Enable two-factor authentication: In Settings and Privacy → Security → Two-step verification.

More information is available in the TikTok Help Center.

Know your rights when it comes to digital information

When it comes to unlocking your phone, passcodes provide stronger legal protection than biometric authentication (fingerprint or face ID).

Courts are divided on whether you can be forced to unlock your phone with your fingerprint or face. However, requiring someone to reveal a passcode generally receives stronger protection under the Fifth Amendment against self-incrimination. Until the Supreme Court rules, using a passcode is the safer choice.

Practical tips:

●   Use a strong passcode (6+ digits or alphanumeric) instead of Face ID or fingerprint

●   Know how to quickly disable biometrics: On iPhone, press the side button 5 times rapidly. On most Android phones, hold the power button and select "Lockdown."

●   You can say: "I do not consent to this search, but I understand you have the authority to conduct it."

●   Consider traveling with minimal data on your device

Glossary of terms in English and Spanish

English	Español	Simple Explanation (English + Español)
Online	En línea	Connected to the internet. / Conectado a internet.
Data / Digital Information	Datos / Información digital	Pieces of information stored or shared online. / Información que se guarda o se comparte en internet.
Privacy	Privacidad	The right to keep your personal information private. / Derecho a mantener tu información personal protegida.
Settings	Configuración	The options you can change in your phone or apps. / Opciones que puedes ajustar en tu teléfono o aplicaciones.
App (Application)	Aplicación	A program you use on your phone or computer. / Programa que usas en el teléfono o computadora.
GPS	GPS	A system that shows your physical location. / Sistema que muestra tu ubicación física.
Location Services	Servicios de ubicación	Tools that track where you are. / Herramientas que rastrean dónde estás.
Encryption	Cifrado	A method to keep messages private so only the sender and receiver can read them. / Forma de proteger mensajes para que solo quien los envía y recibe pueda verlos.
End-to-end encryption	Cifrado de extremo a extremo	Messages are protected from start to finish. / Los mensajes están protegidos de principio a fin.
Profile	Perfil	The information others see about you online. / Información que otros ven sobre ti en línea.
Terms of Service	Términos de servicio	The rules you agree to when using an app. / Reglas que aceptas al usar una aplicación.
Third parties	Terceros	Other companies or people who may receive your data. / Otras empresas o personas que pueden recibir tus datos.
VPN (Virtual Private Network)	Red privada virtual (VPN)	A tool that hides your location and protects your connection online. / Herramienta que oculta tu ubicación y protege tu conexión en internet.
Two-factor authentication	Autenticación en dos pasos	Adds an extra code or step when you log in to protect your account. / Agrega un paso extra o código al iniciar sesión para proteger tu cuenta.
Passcode	Código de acceso	A password made of numbers or letters to unlock a device. / Contraseña con números o letras para desbloquear un dispositivo.
Biometric data	Datos biométricos	Physical features like your face or fingerprint used for unlocking. / Rasgos físicos como el rostro o la huella usados para desbloquear.
IP Address	Dirección IP	A number that identifies your device on the internet. / Número que identifica tu dispositivo en internet.
Personalized Ads	Anuncios personalizados	Ads shown to you based on your activities and data. / Publicidad que te muestran según tus datos y actividades.
Privacy settings	Configuración de privacidad	Options that control who sees your information. / Opciones que controlan quién puede ver tu información.
Location tracking	Rastreo de ubicación	Monitoring where your device is. / Seguimiento del lugar donde se encuentra tu dispositivo.