Concerns about privacy reached boiling point earlier this year when WhatsApp sent out a very poorly worded update regarding WhatsApp business accounts and the sharing of data with Facebook.

Since launching its Privacy Checker, Kaspersky has been recording which apps and operating systems users most frequently ask for security related help. Privacy Checker allows you to tailor your security and privacy settings according to what level of privacy and security you want. It’s a rather clever tool that can be used to help decipher the convoluted privacy and security options on social media.

As regards privacy in operating systems, the most popular Privacy Checker requests were for Google Settings on Android (11.1 percent) and security rules for Android (7.3 percent). While those numbers seem low, to us this speaks to the complicated language employed by the likes of Google that make what should be simple options more complicated than they should be.

When it comes to applications, it’s clear that one main platform has work to do.

Facebook is the most frequently viewed platform on Privacy Checker with 15.7 percent of users requesting assistance regarding settings on that platform, followed closely by Instagram with 9.9 percent of requests.

TikTok took third place with 8.1 percent of requests and, while that is low, as Kaspersky points out, TikTok’s user base is four times smaller than Facebook’s indicating that users are serious about privacy on the short-form video sharing app.

“The visitor statistics in the Privacy Checker project show that users have begun to take an active interest in the privacy and security of their accounts and are looking to reduce their footprint where possible. The high share of TikTok-related requests indicates both interest in the platform itself and user concern about some of the brand’s data collection practices, which have recently been highlighted in the media,” says head of social media at Kaspersky, Sergey Malenkovich.

If you’re concerned about privacy and can’t make heads or tails of what the various security and privacy options mean, we recommend checking the Kaspersky Privacy Checker. This should give you more control over your privacy and serves as a good base off of which you can begin learning more about your privacy and security online.

[Image – CC 0 Pixabay]