# Review privacy settings regularly

Practice ID: 40
Topic: `maintenance` (maintenance: Recurring review, cleanup, permission, and recovery work that keeps a digital life manageable.)
Added: 2026-09-01
Journey entry point: `optimize` (Make the tools you kept more durable, private, and possible to leave.)
Start with: `habit` (habit)
Supports: `legible-digital-life` (a legible, maintainable digital life; group: `digital-control` / My data and digital setup), `privacy-clarity` (privacy clarity; group: `digital-control` / My data and digital setup)

## Pattern

Privacy choices drift as products add features, change policies, and introduce new defaults.

## Practice

Revisit privacy controls on important accounts and devices at a regular interval, especially after major product changes.

## Start small

Review the privacy settings of one service you use often.

## Watch out

Settings can reduce exposure without fixing a product whose business model or technical design remains incompatible with your needs.

## Related practices

- [Block trackers and ads](https://live.freewithtech.com/practices/block-trackers-and-ads.md)
- [Review connected apps and permissions](https://live.freewithtech.com/practices/review-connected-apps-and-permissions.md)

## Concepts

- [digital hygiene](https://live.freewithtech.com/concepts/digital-hygiene.md): Recurring maintenance keeps the digital footprint legible, private, and recoverable.

## Positions

See how these practices fit together: [Review leftover access](https://live.freewithtech.com/by/reviewing-leftover-access.md).

## Related videos

- [what I discovered on my tech reset journey](https://fwt.wtf/digital-wellness-values?utm_source=live.freewithtech.com)

## Continue

- [Browse maintenance as practices.](https://live.freewithtech.com/?topic=maintenance)
- [Journey](https://live.freewithtech.com/journey.md)
- [Concepts](https://live.freewithtech.com/concepts.md)
- [Complete agent-readable database](https://live.freewithtech.com/llms.txt)