Even if you take steps to protect your data privacy, such as using the best VPNs, the simple act of using social media can put your personal information at risk

Indeed, a study by Incogni, a personal information removal service, shows how insecure the privacy practices of several social media platforms are, with Facebook, Facebook Messenger, and LinkedIn being the most vulnerable

A study by privacy platform Incogni shows that Facebook has the weakest privacy practices

Incogni conducted a comprehensive analysis of how various social media platforms handle user data It found that many social media sites store data for up to 180 days after users delete their accounts

On the flip side, leading privacy-conscious social media sites are Reddit, Snapchat, and Pinterest

In its rankings, Incogni looked at the data that platforms collect and store, the control that users have over their data, the number of government fines and data breaches that each platform has experienced, the extent to which users have access to certain features, the The study examined the extent to which the data reaches the government We also examined how easy it is for users to understand the platforms' privacy policies and how easy it is for users to delete their accounts

The categories that contributed most to Facebook and Facebook Messenger's poor scores were data collection and retention This is because all of the Meta-owned platforms (along with Instagram, YouTube, and Discord) retain user information for up to 180 days after an account is deleted This compares to Telegram, a secure messaging app, which retains this data for only one day

This is significant because it means that user data (including names, personal photos, messages, health information, and financial information) can be retained by social media sites for up to 6 months after users think they have been deleted This exposes these personal information to the risk of data breach or data theft

Since there are only four platforms (Reddit, Quora, Discord, and Telegram) that have not experienced government fines or data breaches, this could be devastating for former users of these social media sites

This is no small feat, even if one wants to delete social media accounts and, by extension, the data associated with them

Incogni's research found that some social media platforms actually make it particularly difficult to delete information, with Facebook, YouTube, Instagram, and Messenger requiring six steps to delete an account found

Other social media platforms, such as TikTok, Telegram, and Discord, only require two steps, meaning that it is much easier to remove oneself from these platforms

Darius Berejevas, data privacy expert and head of Incogni, said of the findings: “Social media platforms facilitate rich and meaningful interactions, but they also pose significant privacy and data “Social media platforms facilitate rich and meaningful interactions, but they also pose significant privacy and data security risks [Users may be shocked to learn that some social media platforms retain data for six months after an account is deleted

“It raises big questions about what happens to that data, whether it is sold to a third party, or whether you could be involved in a data breach without knowing it, even though you thought you had severed ties with the platform”

“Our ranking is, important glimpse into how highly social media platforms value their users' privacy and whether they are doing enough to keep their data secure"

If you are concerned about your personal data falling into the wrong hands through social media, there are steps you can take to keep yourself safe

Emilia Jasinska-Dias, a spokesperson for Incogni, recommends choosing a social media platform that does not require you to enter your actual details when you register The majority of social media platforms analyzed in the survey require this

Jansinska-Diaz also recommends being aware of which social media platforms are actually owned by other large companies: “Platforms belonging to Google or Meta have more complicated privacy controls

“Users should be aware that most platforms are integrated into larger groups, which may affect the scope of data handling”