Which social media are the most privacy-oriented in 2025 | Kaspersky official blog
Source Kaspersky Security Blog
Description
Let’s compare TikTok, Twitch, YouTube, Reddit, Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and other social media based on the amount of data they collect and their privacy settings.
Impact
For European organizations, the implications of this privacy-focused threat are multifaceted. The extensive data collection and sharing practices of popular social media platforms increase the risk of personal data exposure, potentially leading to regulatory penalties under GDPR and other European privacy laws. Organizations that rely on social media for marketing, recruitment, or customer engagement must be aware of the privacy risks their employees and customers face. Data misuse or breaches originating from social media platforms can damage organizational reputation and lead to legal liabilities. Furthermore, the use of user content for AI training without explicit consent raises ethical and compliance concerns. The broad user base of platforms like Facebook, TikTok, Instagram, and LinkedIn in Europe means that a large number of individuals are potentially affected, increasing the attack surface for social engineering, phishing, and identity theft. The lack of uniform privacy settings and opt-out mechanisms complicates risk management. European organizations must therefore integrate social media privacy considerations into their cybersecurity and data protection strategies to mitigate indirect risks stemming from these platforms.
Defensive guidance
European organizations should implement targeted measures beyond generic advice to mitigate risks associated with social media privacy practices: 1) Conduct regular audits of social media accounts used by employees and the organization to ensure privacy settings are configured to the most restrictive levels by default. 2) Develop and enforce social media usage policies that limit the sharing of sensitive organizational or personal data on these platforms. 3) Provide training to employees on the privacy implications of social media use, including risks related to data collection, AI training, and third-party data sharing. 4) Utilize privacy assessment tools, such as Kaspersky’s Privacy Checker, to monitor and adjust privacy settings proactively. 5) Where possible, prefer platforms with stronger privacy reputations (e.g., Pinterest, Quora, Twitch) for organizational social media activities. 6) Monitor regulatory developments and fines related to social media privacy to anticipate compliance risks. 7) Implement technical controls such as endpoint security solutions to detect and prevent data leakage via social media applications. 8) Encourage minimal use of personal devices for accessing social media in professional contexts to reduce data exposure. 9) Engage with legal and compliance teams to ensure social media data practices align with GDPR and other relevant regulations. 10) Consider the privacy implications of AI training on user-generated content and advocate for transparent opt-out mechanisms where applicable.