Breach / exposure. Updated 2026-09-13. About 4 minutes to read.
Turn on Private account, switch off Suggest your account to others and contact syncing, and keep precise location off in both TikTok and your phone settings.
TikTok is designed to spread videos to strangers. That is fine for creators and risky for everyone else, because the default settings suggest your account to people who have your phone number, show when you are online and let almost anyone message you.
All paths below start at your profile: tap the three lines at the top right, then Settings and privacy. TikTok moves menus between app versions, so if a name differs, use the search icon inside Settings and privacy. In the US, TikTok's January 2026 privacy policy also allows precise location collection if you turn it on, which makes the location step more important than it used to be.
Make your account private
Open Settings and privacy, then Privacy, and turn on Private account.
Remove followers you do not know from your Followers list. Going private does not remove them.
In Privacy, set Liked videos and Following list to Only me, so strangers cannot map your interests and friends.
Turn off Downloads so others cannot save your videos, and limit Duet and Stitch to friends or no one.
A private account still shows your username, profile photo and bio to anyone. Business accounts cannot be private, so switch to a personal account first if you need privacy.
Stop TikTok suggesting you to people who know your number
This matters most for people avoiding an ex, a relative or a workplace. If someone has your number in their phone and syncs contacts, TikTok can put your account in front of them even if you never follow each other.
Open Settings and privacy, then Privacy, then Suggest your account to others.
Turn off Contacts, Facebook friends, People with mutual connections and People who open or send links to you.
Go back to Privacy and open Sync contacts and Facebook friends. Turn off both sync options.
Tap Remove previously synced contacts so TikTok deletes the address book it already holds.
On your phone, remove TikTok's access to Contacts in the app permissions.
Hide activity status and profile views
In Privacy, open Activity status and turn it off, so friends cannot see when you are online.
In Privacy, open Profile views and turn off Profile view history. When it is on, people can see that you viewed their profile if they also have it on.
Turn off Post view history for the same reason.
Location: what TikTok can collect and how to limit it
TikTok's privacy centre says precise location is off by default, only available to users 18 and over, and only collected if you opt in through a pop-up. Consumer groups have noted that TikTok can still estimate your approximate location from your IP address and SIM, so you cannot switch location off completely.
Open Settings and privacy, then Privacy, then Location services, and turn off precise location if it is on.
In your phone settings, set TikTok's location permission to Never. On iPhone, also turn off Precise Location.
Film away from your house number, car plate and school gate, and post after you leave a place rather than live.
A VPN changes the location TikTok infers from your IP address, but it does nothing about what appears on camera. Most people who get found offline are identified from backgrounds, uniforms and routines, not from IP data.
Decide who can message you
Open Settings and privacy, then Privacy, then Direct messages.
Choose Friends, meaning people who follow each other, or No one. Avoid Everyone unless you run a public business account.
Set Comments to Friends or Followers if strangers pile onto your videos, and add filter keywords.
Accounts registered as under 16 cannot use direct messages at all. In Australia, TikTok must also take reasonable steps to stop under-16s having accounts from 10 December 2025.
Turn down ad personalisation
Open Settings and privacy, then Ads.
Turn off Personalized ads. You will still see ads, but TikTok says they will not be based on your on- and off-TikTok activity.
Open the off-TikTok activity page and clear the activity that advertisers have shared about you. TikTok lets you clear it periodically.
On iPhone, open Settings, Privacy and Security, Tracking and deny TikTok. On Android, delete your advertising ID in the privacy or ads section of your phone settings.
Secure the login
Settings and privacy, then Security: turn on 2-step verification with an authenticator app rather than SMS.
In Security, review Manage devices and remove any you do not recognise.
Change your password if you have ever used it on another site.
Frequently asked questions
Does TikTok know my exact location?
Only if you allowed precise location in the app and your phone. Without it, TikTok can still estimate your city or area from your IP address and mobile network.
Can people see who viewed their TikTok profile?
Yes, if both of you have profile view history turned on. Turn it off in Privacy and your visits will not show.
Why does TikTok keep suggesting my account to my contacts?
Suggest your account to others is on and contacts may be synced, by you or by them. Turn off every toggle in that menu and remove previously synced contacts.
Does a private TikTok account stop my videos being shared?
It stops strangers seeing new videos in the app. Followers can still screen record, so treat anything you post as shareable.
Did TikTok's US ownership change affect my privacy settings?
In January 2026 TikTok's US business moved to a new US-based company and published a new privacy policy that allows precise location collection if you opt in. Your existing settings still apply, but review the location and ads settings after any major app update.
Does clearing off-TikTok activity stop advertisers tracking me?
Not completely. It removes the activity partners already shared with TikTok, and new activity can arrive later. Turning off Personalized ads and denying tracking on your phone does more, so do all three.