In the wake of the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal, people have become paranoid about how much data the powers that be really have on us - and rightfully so. For years, some of our most personal information has been secretly harvested and used to manipulate us in subtle, subliminal ways, and it's all because we were so desperate to grow virtual crops or take a personality quiz that we just signed away the rights to our Facebook profiles with the click of a button.

Thankfully, though, now that this issue has come to light, laws are changing to stop us from having our own data held hostage, and people are being more vigilant about what they do or don't put on the internet. So, with that in mind, here are nine things that you might want to take off your social media profiles ASAP...

1. Your phone number

Would you give your number to some random guy on the street? Oh, you wouldn't? Then don't give it to some random guys on the internet.

2. Your birthday

Personal details such as your address and birthday can be used to access your bank account, change personal passwords on electrical devices, and basically pave the way to forging your identity. So keep it under wraps!

3. Your boss

We all know that we're different at work to how we are at home, and that those two different aspects of our lives shouldn't be allowed to cross over too much. So, unless you want your manager to see you half-cut and celebrating last New Year's Eve in a shopping trolley, you might want to unfriend them.

4. Details about young relatives

While you might think it's cute to give a daily update on what your little cousin or newborn daughter has just learned to say/do/eat, it's worth considering that they might not want that information to be hanging around at a later date. Just put yourself in that position: would you want pictures of yourself on the potty on the internet? I don't think so.

Also, be careful about sharing too much personal information about where a young person goes to school/whether they're staying at a friend's place etc. Nobody needs to know, but anyone who does try to find out could be doing so for a bad reason.

5. Your "friends"

Hey, remember Janet from fourth grade? No? Then why are you still Facebook friends with her?

6. Location services

If anyone is ever out to hurt you, putting your location services on basically gives them a target to aim for.

7. Your holiday plans

You might be super excited about that trip you're taking to Vegas next month, and we know you really want to boast about it so that your ex gets jealous - but you probably shouldn't. Saying that you're going to be out of the country for two weeks is basically an invitation for someone to come and burgle your house, and that isn't worth the bragging rights.

8. Your credit card details

Come on guys, seriously? No credit card details. No photos of your ID. No address details. Just don't do it.

9. Your relationship status

This point is mainly just to save you the pain and embarrassment of having to switch from "in a relationship" to "single" every other month.

So, folks, if you care at all about your online profile, you may want to spend the next 10 minutes or so filtering out your posts and clearing up some of the personal details in your settings. Oh, and while you're there, make sure to unfriend Janet. She was never that nice anyway.

In the wake of the recent Cambridge Analytica scandal, people have become paranoid about how much data the powers that be really have on us - and rightfully so. For years, some of our most personal information has been secretly harvested and used to manipulate us in subtle, subliminal ways, and it's all because we were so desperate to grow virtual crops or take a personality quiz that we just signed away the rights to our Facebook profiles with the click of a button.

Thankfully, though, now that this issue has come to light, laws are changing to stop us from having our own data held hostage, and people are being more vigilant about what they do or don't put on the internet. So, with that in mind, here are nine things that you might want to take off your social media profiles ASAP...

1. Your phone number

Would you give your number to some random guy on the street? Oh, you wouldn't? Then don't give it to some random guys on the internet.

2. Your birthday

Personal details such as your address and birthday can be used to access your bank account, change personal passwords on electrical devices, and basically pave the way to forging your identity. So keep it under wraps!

3. Your boss

We all know that we're different at work to how we are at home, and that those two different aspects of our lives shouldn't be allowed to cross over too much. So, unless you want your manager to see you half-cut and celebrating last New Year's Eve in a shopping trolley, you might want to unfriend them.

4. Details about young relatives

While you might think it's cute to give a daily update on what your little cousin or newborn daughter has just learned to say/do/eat, it's worth considering that they might not want that information to be hanging around at a later date. Just put yourself in that position: would you want pictures of yourself on the potty on the internet? I don't think so.

Also, be careful about sharing too much personal information about where a young person goes to school/whether they're staying at a friend's place etc. Nobody needs to know, but anyone who does try to find out could be doing so for a bad reason.

5. Your "friends"

Hey, remember Janet from fourth grade? No? Then why are you still Facebook friends with her?

6. Location services

If anyone is ever out to hurt you, putting your location services on basically gives them a target to aim for.

7. Your holiday plans

You might be super excited about that trip you're taking to Vegas next month, and we know you really want to boast about it so that your ex gets jealous - but you probably shouldn't. Saying that you're going to be out of the country for two weeks is basically an invitation for someone to come and burgle your house, and that isn't worth the bragging rights.

8. Your credit card details

Come on guys, seriously? No credit card details. No photos of your ID. No address details. Just don't do it.

9. Your relationship status

This point is mainly just to save you the pain and embarrassment of having to switch from "in a relationship" to "single" every other month.

So, folks, if you care at all about your online profile, you may want to spend the next 10 minutes or so filtering out your posts and clearing up some of the personal details in your settings. Oh, and while you're there, make sure to unfriend Janet. She was never that nice anyway.