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Allegations around the use of Facebook data to target political campaigns by Cambridge Analytica, reported by The Observer, The New York Times and Channel 4, have left many wondering if they should be so free with their personal information online.

Though the specific Facebook feature that gave Cambridge Analytica access to the data of millions of users without their permission is no longer available, what you willingly share can still be used to build up a detailed picture about you for targeting adverts. If this has you worried, here are some tips to tighten up your online presence.

Clear out the clutter

The first step is to conduct a clean sweep of all app interactions you’ve previously approved. Clicking will bring up the list of Facebook apps that have access to your data. Scan through the list, and if there are any apps you don’t use, don’t recognise or don’t remember – disable them. Also look at the “apps others use” option that shows the information that can be handed over on your behalf, by your friends opting into apps. Though much of the information is trivial, it does include personal details like your date of birth and personal interests you may not want to spread widely. Similarly, it’s easy to do a privacy check-up for all things Google with .

Install a tracker blocker

Many companies use trackers. These sit in the background of websites and monitor your surfing patterns. Install a browser extension like  to block them, or  that clicks on random ads in the background to confuse them.

Read the small print

Tech firms rely on the fact that users won’t read the privacy policies before clicking “I agree”. Be more vigilant, and take your time to understand what you’re sharing and with whom when you’re tempted to download the next big app. “Be proactive,” says Tim Turner, a data protection consultant. “Ask companies what data they have, where they obtained it from, and who they’ve supplied it to.”

Go dark

It’s a drastic move, but some are calling for people to . Even , the co-founder of Facebook-owned WhatsApp has joined the movement. However, Facebook don’t make this easy: they prompt you to “deactivate”, rather than delete, your account. Doing so will put your account into the deep freeze, with your data still held by Facebook. Instead, you can visit to permanently delete your account. It’s not an instantaneous process: there’s a two-week cooling off period, then Facebook takes 90 days to wipe all trace of you from its database forever. Even then Facebook own both Instagram and WhatsApp, so cutting ties completely with the company could be just too much hassle for some.