Privacy and boundaries

Goal

Decide in advance what you will and will not share, so you can film freely and never regret a post. Complete this lesson before you publish anything.

Why this is a lesson at all

Videos about yourself are different from videos about a topic. They are made of your life, and your life contains other people, places and information that are not only yours. Once a video is public, it can be saved, reposted and searched, even if you delete the original. Boundaries decided in advance are much easier to hold than boundaries decided at 1 a.m. with a finished edit.

The three circles

Sort everything about your life into three circles.

Circle 1: Public. I am comfortable with anyone seeing this, today and in five years. Examples: my opinions, my work habits, lessons from past mistakes, hobbies.

Circle 2: Selective. I might share a version, with care. Examples: my work in general terms (not employer secrets), a cleaned-up version of a struggle, a past event told without identifying people.

Circle 3: Private. Never. Examples: other people’s private matters, precise home location, children’s identifying details, medical details you do not want public, financial specifics, anything under a confidentiality agreement, anything that would put you or others at risk.

Write your own three lists. Keep them short.

People who are not you

Other people appear in your life: partners, family, friends, colleagues, children. They have not agreed to be content.

• Ask before featuring someone. A yes for a casual story is different from a yes for a public video.
• Do not share someone else’s private struggles. Tell the lesson, not the person.
• Be especially careful with children. Many creators choose not to show children’s faces or names at all. Decide this explicitly.
• Change or blur details when you tell a story about someone who has not consented: names, places, exact events.

Places and patterns

• Location: do not show your street, building number, car number plates, or a routine that tells people when you are not home. Check backgrounds for mail, window views, screens, and documents.
• Time delay: consider posting a story after the event rather than live.
• Metadata: a posted video may carry location data. Check platform settings and your phone camera’s location tagging.

Work and employer

• Check your employment contract and any social media policy.
• Do not share confidential information, internal tools, customer names or screens, even in the background.
• Avoid implying your employer endorses your content.
• If you work in a regulated field, check what you may say publicly.

Safety and comments

• Expect some negative or invasive comments if you grow. Decide your response in advance: delete, block, ignore.
• Use the platform’s tools: comment filters, restricted accounts, blocking.
• Keep your account secure: unique password, two-factor authentication.
• Do not respond to pressure to reveal more than you planned.

Rights to what you use

• Music: personal and business accounts can differ in which music they may use. According to a Buffer overview, Instagram business accounts can use only commercially available audio, while creator accounts have the fuller library. Check the platform’s current terms.
• Other people’s footage, images and text: do not use them without permission.
• Locations: some places forbid filming. Respect signs and ask.

Make a personal policy

Write a one-page policy, for example:

1. I will not show my home address, my neighborhood or my daily routine.
2. I will not name or show people without their agreement.
3. I will not post about my employer’s internal matters.
4. I will not share anything I would not want to see quoted on a screen in a year.
5. Before posting, I will wait 30 minutes after finishing the edit and check the background of every shot.

Common mistakes

• Deciding on the spot. Decisions made in the editing app are usually too permissive.
• Forgetting the background. Mail, screens, windows and nameplates leak details.
• Telling a story about someone without their knowledge. It can harm trust.
• Assuming deleting fixes it. Once public, it can be copied.

Exercise

1. Write your three circles.
2. Write your one-page policy.
3. Review your last three takes for backgrounds that reveal anything.
4. Check location tagging and privacy settings in your camera and in the platform app.
5. Turn on two-factor authentication for each account you will use.

Daily practice

• Minimum (keeps the streak): a voice note of any length.
• Today’s take (about 30 seconds): Say your personal policy aloud: what you share and what you don’t. Check the background before you press record.
• Weeks 1-2 everything stays private; from week 3 follow your publishing plan.
• Don’t watch the take right away (lesson 4.1). Tick the day in your tracker.

Reading (optional)

This week’s book, about 15-20 minutes: Chip and Dan Heath, Made to Stick. A loose suggestion; it does not have to match the lesson. More in resources and the schedule.

Checklist

• My three circles are written.
• I have a personal policy of 5 or fewer rules.
• I checked backgrounds and metadata.
• My accounts are secured with two-factor authentication.
• I know what to do when I get a hostile comment.
• I recorded today’s voice note and take.

Sources

• Buffer: Instagram account types

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