Information that seems harmless on its own — your birthday, pet's name, mother's maiden name, or your location at a given moment — is often exactly what attackers use to guess security questions or build convincing, personalized phishing attempts. Reviewing and tightening privacy settings on social platforms limits what strangers (rather than just friends or connections) can see about your activity, location, and personal details. Data brokers are companies that collect, aggregate, and sell personal information gathered from public records, app permissions, and browsing activity, often without most users realizing the extent of what's been compiled about them. A simple rule of thumb: before posting, consider whether the information could help someone impersonate you, guess a password recovery answer, or locate you physically.