How to Protect Your Privacy on Threads

Threads, Meta's text-based social platform, has rapidly grown into one of the most popular alternatives to Twitter/X. But because Threads is tightly linked to your Instagram account and built on Meta's data infrastructure, it inherits all of the privacy concerns that come with the Meta ecosystem — plus a few unique ones of its own. Whether you joined Threads out of curiosity or use it daily, taking a few minutes to adjust your privacy settings can dramatically reduce how much personal information you expose to strangers, advertisers, and data brokers.

Why Threads Privacy Deserves Your Attention

Threads is not a standalone app. When you sign up, you do so through your existing Instagram account, which means Threads immediately has access to the profile data, follower list, and account settings you have already configured on Instagram. Meta uses this data — along with information it collects directly from Threads — to build detailed advertising profiles, serve targeted ads across its family of apps, and share data with third-party partners.

The types of data Threads can collect include:

• Device and usage data: Your phone model, operating system, IP address, browsing behavior within the app, and how long you spend reading specific posts.
• Content and interactions: Everything you post, like, repost, reply to, or search for.
• Contact information: Your email address, phone number, and contacts list if you granted access.
• Location data: Approximate location based on your IP address, and precise location if you have granted that permission.
• Financial information: Payment details if you make purchases through Meta services.

Make Your Threads Profile Private

By default, new Threads profiles are public, meaning anyone — including people without a Threads account — can see your posts and profile information. Switching to a private profile is the single most important step you can take.

How to Set Your Profile to Private

1. Open the Threads app and tap your profile icon.
2. Tap Settings (the gear icon).
3. Go to Privacy.
4. Toggle on Private profile.

Once enabled, only people you approve as followers can see your posts, replies, and reposts. Your profile photo and bio remain visible to everyone, so keep those free of sensitive personal details.

If you are under 16 (or under 18 in certain countries), Meta automatically sets your profile to private. However, this default can be changed, so parents should verify that the setting remains active on their children's accounts.

Enable Two-Factor Authentication

Because Threads is tied to your Instagram account, securing one means securing both. Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds a critical extra layer of protection beyond your password.

Best Practice for 2FA on Threads

• Open Instagram and navigate to Settings > Accounts Center > Password and Security > Two-factor authentication.
• Choose Authentication app (such as Google Authenticator, Authy, or 1Password) rather than SMS. SIM-swapping attacks can intercept SMS codes, making text-based 2FA significantly less secure.
• Save your backup codes in a secure password manager in case you lose access to your authenticator app.

Control Who Can Mention and Tag You

Unwanted mentions can be used to harass you, drag you into controversial conversations, or expose your profile to audiences you did not choose. Threads gives you control over this.

1. Go to Settings > Privacy > Mentions.
2. Choose who can mention you: Everyone, Profiles You Follow, or No One.

For maximum privacy, select Profiles You Follow so that only people you trust can tag you in posts and replies. If you are experiencing harassment, switch to No One temporarily until the situation is resolved.

Manage Your Search and Activity History

Threads stores your search history and activity data, which Meta uses to personalize your feed and target advertising. Clearing this data regularly limits the profile Meta builds about your interests.

Steps to Clear and Limit History

• Clear search history: Go to the search tab, tap the search bar, and select Clear all to remove your recent searches.
• Pause tracking: Navigate to your account settings and toggle off History & Activity. This prevents Threads from logging your future browsing and interaction history for ad personalization.
• Make this a regular habit — set a monthly reminder to review and clear your activity data.

Review App Permissions and Third-Party Access

Like all Meta apps, Threads may request access to device features and share data with third-party services. Regularly auditing these permissions reduces your attack surface.

• Device permissions: On your phone, go to your device settings and review what permissions Threads has. Revoke access to your camera, microphone, contacts, and location unless you actively need them while using the app.
• Third-party apps: In Instagram's settings, navigate to Settings > Apps and Websites and remove any third-party services you no longer use or recognize. Each connected app is a potential data leak.
• Linked accounts: If you have connected Threads or Instagram to other services, review those connections and remove any that are unnecessary.

Protect Yourself in Day-to-Day Use

Privacy settings are only part of the equation. Your daily habits on Threads matter just as much.

• Do not accept follow requests from people you do not know. Fake and spam accounts are common on Threads. An unknown follower with access to your private profile can screenshot and reshare your content.
• Never reveal your location. Avoid posting about your current location, daily routine, or travel plans. Even vague references like "my favorite coffee shop on Main Street" can be combined with other public information to identify where you live or work.
• Log out from shared or public devices. If you access Threads from a computer, library terminal, or someone else's phone, always log out when you are done. Staying logged in gives the next person full access to your account and conversations.
• Be mindful of what you post. Even on a private profile, followers can screenshot your posts. Treat everything you write as potentially public and avoid sharing sensitive personal details like your full birthday, home address, or workplace.
• Use a strong, unique password. Your Threads account is only as secure as your Instagram password. Use a password manager to generate a strong, unique password that you do not reuse on other services.

How PrivacyOn Helps Beyond Threads Settings

Locking down your Threads profile is an important step, but it only controls what you share going forward. The personal information that data brokers have already collected about you — your full name, home address, phone number, email, family members, and more — remains publicly searchable on hundreds of people-search websites, regardless of how private your social media accounts are.

This is where PrivacyOn fills a critical gap. PrivacyOn continuously scans data broker sites, identifies your personal information, and submits removal requests on your behalf. Even if someone finds your Threads profile and tries to look you up on a people-search site, PrivacyOn works to ensure there is nothing for them to find. Combining strong Threads privacy settings with ongoing data broker removal gives you a much more complete layer of protection than either approach alone.

Your privacy on Threads does not have to be an afterthought. Spend 15 minutes today going through the settings outlined above, and you will significantly reduce how much of your personal information is exposed to strangers, advertisers, and the broader internet. The small effort now is well worth the protection it provides.