While Twitter is a fun place to hang out, it has associated risks just like any other social network.

When it comes to protecting your identity while using the platform, here are our top Twitter safety tips you can use to enjoy the app while still protecting yourself.

1. Never Share Personal Information

This has to be the first and foremost guideline and cannot be stressed enough.

Never share your email, personal or business address, telephone numbers, and other private information on Twitter publically. Doing so puts you at risk of identity theft.

You should only share personal information via DM when you are absolutely sure of who you are talking to.

2. Turn Off Geotagging on Your Tweets

twitter location

Make sure you also disable geotagging on Twitter. It is an optional Twitter feature that makes your location public on your tweets.

To turn off geotagging, open Twitter's settings and head to Privacy and Safety > Your Tweets > Add location information to your tweets, then make sure the checkbox is not ticked.

3. Regularly Review Which Applications Can Access Your Account

twitter apps

Avoid web-based applications that ask you to supply your Twitter username and password. Well-behaved applications use Twitter OAuth and do not ask you to provide your Twitter password.

Regularly review the list of applications you have authorized to access your Twitter account by following the steps below:

  1. Open Twitter's settings.
  2. Click on Security and Account Access.
  3. Select Apps and Sessions.
  4. Click on Connected Apps.

Remove all applications from that list that you no longer need or use by clicking on the app's name and select Revoke Access.

4. Change Your Password Frequently

twitter change password

Automated bots can be used by hackers to gain access to your Twitter account. So use strong passwords and keep changing your password every six weeks to ensure maximum safety.

To make sure your password is safe, you can use a free password generator website and enter the various parameters you require.

To change your Twitter password, go to Settings > Your Account > Change your password.

5. Preview Short URLs Before You Click

trendmicro

Shortened URLs are often used to hide unsafe web addresses. Visiting unsafe websites carries the risk of malware, phishing scams, and identity theft.

By default, Twitter will add a site preview when a link is inserted into a tweet. However, the creator of the tweet can remove the preview before they publish it.

If there is no visible preview, paste the link into a tool like TrendMicro's Site Safety Center to check its safety before you click.

6. Beware of Unsolicited DMs

Phishing attacks often use targeted private messages to lure unsuspecting users to a login page where they are asked to provide their username and password.

The problem is that you may receive a direct message from a trustworthy user you are following whose account has been compromised. After all, there is no foolproof way to ascertain whether a message is authentic or suspicious.

You should use your judgment and discretion while clicking URLs in direct messages. If there is any reason to suspect that the message is strange in any way, simply delete it and let the user know.

7. Consider Making Your Account Private

twitter private

If you are using Twitter to communicate among a chosen group of friends, colleagues, or family; consider making your Twitter feed private. This step is also recommended for youngsters on Twitter.

To make your Twitter account private, follow the steps below:

  1. Open Twitter's settings.
  2. Select Privacy and Safety.
  3. In the Your Twitter activity section, click on Audience and tagging.
  4. Mark the checkbox next to Protect your tweets.

By selecting this option, your account information and tweets you have sent will only be visible to people who follow you.

8. Block and Report Spam

twitter spam

If you receive lots of spam, block and report the account. Many Twitter clients let you do that from within their interface and you can also do it from within Twitter's main web app.

Reporting a tweet is easy. Click on the three horizontal dots next to the tweet and select Report tweet. You will need to choose your reason for the report before you submit it. The available options are I'm not interested in this tweet, It's suspicious or spam, It's abusive or harmful, or It expresses intentions of self-harm or suicide.

For spam, you need to choose the second option and then select one of the following choices:

  • The account tweeting this is fake.
  • Includes a link to a potentially harmful, malicious, or phishing site.
  • The hashtags included seem unrelated.
  • Uses the reply function to spam.
  • It's something else.

In a few days, Twitter will let you know how it has dealt with your report.

9. Respect Twitter's Limits

twitter limits

Ensure that you adhere to Twitter's various limits. They apply to how many people you can follow in a certain time period, how many tweets you can send, and more.

The limits are especially important to be aware of when using automated tools to tweet or follow/unfollow users. Violating follow limit rules may lead to suspension of your Twitter account. The key limits to be aware of are:

  • A maximum of 2,400 tweets and 1,000 direct messages per day.
  • 400 new follows per day.
  • Every account can follow 5,000 accounts. After that, the limit is based on a following-to-followers ratio.

Be aware that Twitter also prohibits "aggressive following". According to Twitter, aggressive follow churn is when "an account repeatedly follows and then unfollows a large number of accounts".

10. Don't Buy Followers

buy followers twitter

It's tempting to use one of the many services that offer followers for sale or that promise to get you "hundreds of followers quickly".

Not only are such services a guaranteed way to make your Twitter account suspicious and lead to your account being suspended, but Twitter frequently deletes millions of accounts that sellers use to fulfill orders. The followers you buy, therefore, don't tend to stick around for long.

11. Make Sure Nobody Is Impersonating You

twitter impersonation

Twitter only permits impersonation for parody. Yet even if you don't use Twitter at all, someone else may be using your name to impersonate you on Twitter. This can lead to grave reputation problems for your business interests, professional life, and personal life.

If you come across any Twitter account impersonating you in an illegitimate fashion, you can report the user directly from the Twitter app. Just open the profile, click on the three horizontal dots, select Report [user], and choose They're pretending to be me or someone else.

If you are not a Twitter user, use Twitter's standalone impersonation report form instead.

12. Use an Anti-Virus App

No list of safety tips would be complete without a reminder to protect your computer using a reliable anti-virus app and firewalls.

Check MakeUseOf's coverage of free anti-virus apps if you'd like some recommendations on which security suite to use.

13. Enable Two-Factor Authentication

twitter 2fa

Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds extra security to your Twitter account. It can prevent someone from accessing your account, even if they've managed to get hold of your password.

To enable 2FA on Twitter, go to Settings > Security and Account Access > Security > Two-factor authentication.

You can choose to receive your 2FA code via SMS, an authentication app, or a physical security key.

14. Turn Off Data Tracking

off twitter activity

Twitter uses your online activity outside of Twitter to customize your experience within the app. As such, the app is set to track your web browsing history by default.

Similarly, Twitter will personalize your experience based on your "inferred identity". That means it will pull information such as the devices you use, the browsers you use, and your phone number to tweak the content it shows you.

You can turn both features off by going to Settings > Privacy and Safety > Off-Twitter Activity and unticking the checkboxes.

15. Mute Specific Words

muted words twitter

Muting specific words on Twitter is a great way to filter out the content you don't care about. For example, if you want to avoid tweets about American Football, you might choose to mute "NFL", "Super Bowl", "Tom Brady", and so on.

However, some words are also frequently attached to themes that might be harmful—think of topics such as adult entertainment, child slavery, weapons, etc. You can mute all the words you can think of in those fields to ensure they don't suddenly appear on your timeline.

To mute words, head to Settings > Privacy and Safety > Mute and Block > Muted Words.

Vigilance on Twitter Is Key to Safety

Staying safe on social media is a multi-faceted and never-ending battle. You need to be on top of everything from account security to your interaction with other users.

However, if you spend the time to make sure your account is set up correctly, you can be confident in enjoying Twitter without encountering any of the issues we have discussed.