The Privacy Landscape of Social Media in 2025: Discord Leads, Meta Lags as AI Data Use soars
Updated October 26, 2023 – Social media remains a cornerstone of modern life, but at what cost to your privacy? New research from Incogni’s Social Media Privacy Ranking 2025 reveals a significant shift in the privacy practices of major platforms, with Facebook, WhatsApp, and TikTok now identified as the most privacy-invasive. Conversely, Discord emerges as a surprising leader in data protection, offering users a comparatively safer experience. This comprehensive analysis, based on a rigorous evaluation of 15 leading social networks, underscores the growing need for users to understand how their data is collected, used – and perhaps exploited – particularly in the age of Artificial Intelligence.
A Dramatic Shift in the Privacy Rankings
The Incogni report, released this week, marks a stark departure from last year’s findings. In 2024, Reddit, Snapchat, and Pinterest held the positions of most concerning platforms. This year’s results demonstrate a clear trend: platforms heavily invested in AI development are increasingly likely to utilize user data for training purposes, often with limited transparency.
“We’re seeing a fundamental change in how social media companies view user data,” explains Darius Belejevas, Head of Incogni. “It’s no longer simply about targeted advertising. The rise of generative AI has created a new demand for data,and regrettably,many platforms are prioritizing innovation over user privacy.”
The AI Data Risk: 80% of Platforms May Be Using Your Facts
The study meticulously examined the privacy policies of Discord, Pinterest, Quora, telegram, Snapchat, Twitch, linkedin, Reddit, X (formerly Twitter), YouTube, Facebook Messenger, Instagram, TikTok, WhatsApp, and Facebook. Researchers assessed each platform across five key areas: AI data usage, user consent mechanisms, transparency of data handling practices, history of regulatory penalties, and the collection of sensitive personal information.
The findings are alarming: 12 out of the 15 platforms analyzed may be leveraging personal user data to train AI models. Only Telegram, twitch, and – notably – Discord explicitly state they do not use user data for AI training. This suggests that roughly 80% of the social media landscape is potentially utilizing your posts, interactions, and personal details to refine and improve artificial intelligence systems.
Meta and TikTok Under Fire: A Pattern of Privacy Violations
Meta’s family of platforms – Facebook, Instagram, and WhatsApp – alongside TikTok, consistently received the lowest scores across all assessment categories. This isn’t simply a matter of policy; Meta has a demonstrable track record of privacy breaches and regulatory scrutiny.
Actually, Facebook has been hit with the most fines of any platform reviewed, including one in the United States, four under the European Union’s General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR), and five additional penalties from other countries. This consistent pattern of violations highlights a systemic disregard for user privacy.
Discord: A Beacon of Privacy in a Data-Hungry World
in a landscape dominated by data collection, Discord stands out as a positive example. The platform’s explicit commitment to not using user data for generative AI training was a key factor in its top ranking.Pinterest and Quora followed, offering comparatively better privacy protections.
Discord’s success isn’t accidental.The platform has cultivated a strong community focus and prioritized user control over data. This approach resonates with a growing segment of users who are increasingly concerned about their digital footprint.
Beyond AI: The Collection of Sensitive Data
The Incogni report also sheds light on the types of sensitive data being collected by these platforms. While many users are aware of basic data collection (name, email, location), the report reveals more concerning practices:
* LinkedIn: Potentially collects data on users’ race or ethnicity.
* Meta (excluding WhatsApp) & LinkedIn: may collect data regarding users’ sexual orientation and health information.
This expansion of data collection raises serious ethical concerns, particularly given the potential for discrimination and misuse.
What Does This Mean for You? Taking Control of Your data
The Social Media Privacy Ranking 2025 serves as a crucial wake-up call for social media users. Here are some steps you can take to protect your privacy:
* Review Privacy Settings: Take the time to thoroughly review the privacy settings on each platform you use. Limit data sharing and opt-out of personalized advertising whenever possible.
* Be Mindful of What You Share: Consider the potential consequences before posting personal information online.
* Utilize Privacy-Focused Tools: Explore browser extensions and privacy-focused search engines that can help protect your data.
* Support Privacy-Respecting Platforms: Consider shifting your activity to platforms like
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