Can Social Media Privacy and Safety Features Protect Targets of Interpersonal Attacks? A Systematic Analysis
Authors: Majed Almansoori (University of Wisconsin--Madison and United Arab Emirates University (UAEU)), Rahul Chatterjee (University of Wisconsin--Madison)
Volume: 2025
Issue: 2
Pages: 326–343
DOI: https://doi.org/10.56553/popets-2025-0064
Abstract: Social media applications have benefited users in several ways, including ease of communication and quick access to information. However, they have also introduced several privacy and safety risks. These risks are particularly concerning in the context of interpersonal attacks, which are carried out by abusive friends, family members, intimate partners, co-workers, or even strangers. Evidence shows interpersonal attackers regularly exploit social media platforms to harass and spy on their targets. To help protect targets from such attacks, social media platforms have introduced several privacy and safety features. However, it is unclear how effective they are against interpersonal threats. In this work, we analyzed ten popular social media applications, identifying 100 unique privacy and safety features that provide controls across eight categories: discoverability, visibility, saving and sharing, interaction, self-censorship, content moderation, transparency, and reporting. We simulated 59 different attack actions by a persistent attacker — aimed at account discovery, information gathering, non-consensual sharing, and harassment — and found many were successful. Based on our findings, we proposed improvements to mitigate these risks.
Keywords: privacy features, social media apps, online interpersonal attacks
Copyright in PoPETs articles are held by their authors. This article is published under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 license.
