Privacy Settings on Tumblr. Increase your Privacy

Imagine a world where you can post and bond over anything you love, with strangers or friends. A place where you can express yourself and discover your interests. A place where you can ensure your privacy yet still interact with people. What if I told you a place like this existed? It’s none other than Tumblr!

Tumblr lets you do all this and more from the comfort of your screen. It is a website that allows you to create an online diary through pictures, music, videos, gifs, texts, and more! It is accessible from your phones, laptops, desktops, etc.

Tumblr has a public default setting. Now, what does that mean? It means anyone can view your blogs, posts, username, or any other thing that you choose to share. You have to be mindful of hackers and bullies. Moreover, anonymous identities can pose a real threat on a platform like this. Let me assure you, Tumblr can be a safe space for its users, but you have to be the one to take the first step towards that.

While you may do everything from your end to ensure privacy, sometimes it can be out of your hands. Like the 2013 breach where hackers stole data from Tumblr of around 65 million people! Personal information like email addresses and passwords were stolen and sold online. Keep this in mind when setting up any social platform.

You can have private blogs on Tumblr by making a secondary blog. You might be wondering what that is, allow me to introduce you to them. A secondary blog is like a main blog except for three aspects. You cannot direct message, other users, you cannot like posts and you cannot follow other users. Here. the only people accessing your profile will be those with a password to it. Isn't that convenient?!

Make your secondary blog private

Let me teach you how it works! For starters, set up your blog if you haven't already. The process on how to Create a Blog with Tumblr is straightforward. Creating this is vital if you want a private profile. Now, here are the steps to make your secondary blog private:

1. Log on to your Tumblr account and open your dashboard page.
2. Create a second blog if you haven't already. Click the downwards arrow and set it up. Always make sure you use a strong passcode.
3. Once you’ve created this secondary blog, click the “Settings” button on the right-hand side.
4. Scroll down to the end of the page and select “Passwords” then “Password protect this blog”.
5. Select the desired settings and click on “Save preferences” to activate this privacy feature.
6. Click on the “followers” button and inform them of your password to access your private blog.

To visit a private blog, go to your_new_private_tumblr.tumblr.com. Here you can enter the passcode, and have access to the blog! Just a warning: Tumblrs default mode opens the website to your public profile when you first visit it. To go to your own private blog, click the down arrow next to your blog name and enjoy your time tension-free.

Speaking of default modes, Tumblr allows for anyone to follow or message you, like or comment on your blog. While interacting with people might be why you signed up for Tumblr in the first place, you wouldn't want strangers messaging you, right? Then it's time you make sure your security is not compromised! Tumblr offers a variety of options for a more secure experience.

Hide your activity status

Are you sick of the green dot showing you’ve been on Tumblr? Do you wanna use Tumblr at work and not want your coworkers to know? Then hide your activity status. If they can't see it happen, then it didn't happen, right?

The process is simple. Go to your account settings indicated by the small human figure. Select “General Settings” then click the “Privacy” option. Select “Let others know you’re active” and you’re done! This might even help you stay clear of the bullies and unwanted people.

Shelter your blog from search engine results

Sometimes, Tumblr can serve as an escape, even from your real life. If you don't want people from your life to find out your blog, you can hide it from search results all over!

Go to your account settings (the human figure), and scroll to the top left of your screen. Select your blog and then click the gear icon. Select the “Visibility” option and then choose “Hide from search results”.

This easy method will make it harder for people to search for you and give you an increased layer of security.

Shelter your blog from the web

What if I told you that there is a setting that will make your blog disappear from the web completely, yet still exist. Sounds like a dream, right? Much like the previous setting, you can completely hide from the web! How amazing is that?! If you turn on this setting, even your Tumblr URL won't lead people to your blog. The only people still having access to it will be the ones present on your dashboard. Here is the catch: This will only happen when you’re signed in.

To enable this setting, Go to your account settings (the human figure), and scroll to the top left of your screen. Select your blog and then click the gear icon. Select the “Visibility” option and then select “Hide (blog name)”

Don't let your email address be used to track you down.

Email addresses are private for some people and are exploited to extract personal information. Save yourself the trouble and turn off this setting so no one can find you by email.

Go to your account settings (the human figure) and select the gear icon. Select “General Settings” then select the “Privacy” option. Select “Let others find you by email”. This process will only take 2 minutes of your time, yet do a lot for your privacy.

Safe Search settings

Even though Tumblr has a known 13+ years signup policy, some content found there is still not for children. For this reason, Tumblr lets you add filters for a better, more safe experience. The Adult Content policy allows a user to block it out. The padlock on the upper right corner hides adult-oriented content. Similarly, self-harm content is also banned on the website. Any such content will redirect a user to help pop up.

Make specific posts on your blog private

Don’t want to hide your whole blog but still want a semblance of privacy for some of your posts? Tumblr has a solution for that as well! Select the option of “post privately” when you are sending it out and Tumblr will do the rest of the work for you.

Secure your blog with a password

Passwords to protect accounts are the most common means of privacy. Tumblr offers this only in secondary blogs.

Wrapping up, you should remember, social media is fun but your privacy is important. Even with as safe of a site as Tumblr, you are still at risk because you never know who might be viewing your blog.
For more knowledge, it is always good to read up on a website's privacy policies. Keeping yourself aware is a smart thing to do in the world of the internet and social media. You can read the Privacy Policies of Tumblr, it is surprisingly readable! Nevertheless, enjoy your time doing what you love, and have fun with blogging on Tumblr!