A secret TikTok account allows you to use the platform with more privacy. TikTok offers features that let you control who can see your profile and videos. Making an account private prevents people from viewing your content unless you approve them as followers. You can also customize settings around things like comments, messages, and location sharing.
The main benefit of a private TikTok account is increased control over who interacts with your profile. It provides more privacy and separates your content from co-workers, family members, or other people you don’t want viewing your videos. Private accounts are commonly used by content creators, businesses, and anyone looking to keep their TikTok presence more discreet.
Make a New TikTok Account
The first step to making a secret TikTok account is creating a brand new account, separate from any existing accounts you may have. You’ll want to use a new email address and username that aren’t associated with any of your other social media profiles.
According to TikTok’s support site, you can create a new account by downloading the TikTok app and following the prompts to sign up. You’ll need to provide a unique username, password, and email address. Make sure not to use any personal information that could identify you.
Having a separate account that isn’t linked to your real identity is key for maintaining privacy. Friends and followers from your primary profile won’t be notified about the secret account’s activity.
Profile Settings
One of the most important things you can do to keep your secret TikTok account private is to change your profile settings. Here are some key profile settings to adjust:
Make Account Private
Go to your profile page and tap the three dots in the upper right corner. Select “Privacy and Settings” then toggle “Private Account” on. This means only people you approve can follow you and see your videos.
Change Username
Also under “Privacy and Settings,” tap “Username” to change it to something unidentifiable. Avoid using your real name or anything too similar to your public username.
Change Profile Photo
You can also tap “Edit Profile” and change your profile photo to something unrecognizable or even no photo at all. This further obscures your identity on your secret account.
Post Privacy Settings
You can control who can see the posts and likes on your secret TikTok account by adjusting the post privacy settings. Go to your profile, tap the three dots in the top right corner, choose “Privacy and Settings”, then select “Privacy”. Under “Privacy settings for your videos”, choose who you want to make your posts visible to. The options are Public (anyone can see), Friends (only people you approve as friends can see), or Private (only you can see).
To hide your likes from others, go to “Privacy settings for your likes” and switch “Hide likes” to on. This will prevent your liked videos from showing up on your profile or in others’ notifications. You can also turn off “Allow others to find me” under Account Privacy to disable TikTok’s friend suggestion and account discovery features.
According to TikTok’s help center article on managing your privacy settings (source), the post privacy controls allow you to choose exactly who can view the content you share on your secret account.
Comment Filters
One way to increase privacy on your secret TikTok account is to filter comments by keywords. This allows you to automatically hide comments that contain specific words or phrases that you don’t want to see. According to Boostmeup, you can enable comment filters in your TikTok settings.
To filter comments on TikTok:
- Go to your profile and tap the three dots in the top right corner.
- Select “Settings and privacy” then “Privacy”.
- Tap “Filter comments” to add words or phrases you want to block.
Any comments containing those filtered keywords will be hidden by default. You can still review filtered comments by tapping “Review filtered comments” under the same Privacy section in Settings. This allows you to monitor any concerning content getting filtered.
Filtering certain keywords or phrases can help you maintain a more positive environment. Just be sure to occasionally review the filtered content so you don’t miss important feedback.
Direct Messages
One way to keep your secret TikTok account private is to control who can send you direct messages. By default, anyone can message you on TikTok. To limit this:
- Go to your profile and tap the three dots in the top right corner.
- Select “Settings and privacy.”
- Tap “Privacy.”
- Under “Direct Messages,” select “Friends” or “Off.”
With “Friends” selected, only people you are mutually following can message you. With “Off” selected, you will not receive any direct messages.
You can also filter comments and set keywords to automatically filter out unwanted messages. Learn more in TikTok’s direct message settings.
Location Settings
One important setting to check when creating a secret TikTok account is the location services setting. By default, TikTok has access to your approximate location based on your device’s IP address or SIM card information according to their Privacy Policy. To disable location tagging on your posts, go to your profile, tap the three-dot menu icon, choose “Privacy and Settings,” then select “Location.” Here you can toggle off location tagging so your city and location are not attached to any posts or videos you share.
Disabling location services ensures your posts and profile do not reveal your general location to other users. This adds an extra layer of privacy when trying to keep your account hidden. Just be aware that even with location services off, your approximate location may still be determined from your IP address if someone was motivated to track that information down. But disabling location tagging removes the easy access to your city and whereabouts through normal use of TikTok.
Phone Number and Email
To maximize privacy on your secret TikTok account, you’ll want to remove any associated phone numbers or email addresses. Here’s how:
Go to your profile page and tap the three dot menu icon in the top right corner. Select “Manage account” then “Privacy and safety”. Under “Account information” you can remove any phone number or email address associated with your account.
According to TikTok’s support page, removing this contact information means you “won’t be able to reset your password or enable certain account security features” [1]. However, it does ensure your secret account can’t be linked back to you via your personal contact details.
You can also turn off personalized ads under this menu. TikTok’s support site explains “Turning off personalized ads will stop your advertising ID from being collected and your off-TikTok activity from being used to personalize ads you see” [1]. This provides another layer of anonymity for your secret account.
Content Considerations
When posting content to a secret TikTok account, it’s important to avoid revealing any personal information that could connect the account back to you. This includes:
- Your real name
- Your location, school, or workplace
- Photos showing identifiable features like your face or tattoos
- Mentioning people you know in real life by their full names
Stick to content that doesn’t give away who you are. Have fun and get creative with an alter ego or anonymous persona if you want. Just be cautious about accidentally posting something that outs your real identity.
You may also want to avoid following accounts of people you know or engaging with content from your main account. This keeps your social circles separate and reduces the chance of your secret account being discovered.
Additional Privacy Tips
There are some additional steps TikTok users can take to increase their privacy and security beyond the platform’s built-in settings:
- Use a VPN (virtual private network) when accessing TikTok. A VPN routes your traffic through encrypted servers, hiding your IP address and location. This makes it harder for hackers or companies to track your online activity (source: https://www.kaspersky.co.uk/resource-center/preemptive-safety/tiktok-tips).
- Be cautious about connecting third-party apps to your TikTok account, as they may access more data than you want to share. Review app permissions carefully before connecting (source: https://dataoverhaulers.medium.com/11-best-tiktok-privacy-settings-your-how-to-guide-27c05e2a5c43?source=rss——social_media-5).
- Consider using a separate “burner” phone or device just for TikTok if you are highly concerned about privacy. This keeps TikTok’s data collection isolated from your main device (source: https://www.kaspersky.co.uk/resource-center/preemptive-safety/tiktok-tips).
- Be mindful of registering your phone number or email with TikTok, as this allows your account to be linked to your identity. Use alternate contact details if possible (source: https://www.tiktok.com/safety/en-us/privacy-and-security-on-tiktok/).
- Delete your TikTok account and all related data periodically, then start fresh with a new account. This limits the amount of your information stored long-term (source: https://dataoverhaulers.medium.com/11-best-tiktok-privacy-settings-your-how-to-guide-27c05e2a5c43?source=rss——social_media-5).
Taking precautions like these can help TikTok users control their digital footprint and identity. However, no solution is completely foolproof, so users should weigh the benefits and risks when sharing any personal information online.