How to Make Your VKontakte Page More Secure
VKontakte is a popular social network in Russia, but it’s also closely monitored by law enforcement. To help you sleep better at night, here are some steps you can take to make your VKontakte page more secure and private.
1. Review the Posts on Your Page
VKontakte posts have led to far more criminal cases in Russia than posts on Facebook or Odnoklassniki. Even seemingly harmless content—like videos or songs that criticize certain groups, photos with offensive gestures, or poems about Ukraine—can be considered criminal. It’s impossible to predict what might attract attention, so if you’re concerned about prosecution, avoid posting or sharing anything that could be interpreted as inciting violence or offending religious beliefs.
Sometimes, friends can post potentially risky content on your wall if your privacy settings allow it. Regularly check your wall in “All Posts” mode to see everything that’s visible.
Tip: The safest option is to close your wall to everyone. You can also delete all posts using a script. Here’s how:
- Go to your VKontakte page.
- Scroll down to the very first post so all posts are loaded. This may take some time, but it’s faster than deleting posts one by one. Hold the spacebar or End key to speed up scrolling.
- Open your browser’s console:
- Chrome: Ctrl + Shift + J (Windows) or Cmd + Opt + J (macOS)
- Firefox: Ctrl + Shift + K (Windows) or Cmd + Opt + K (macOS)
- Other browsers: Search for the shortcut online.
- Copy and paste the following script into the console and press Enter:
(function () {
'use strict';
if (!confirm('Delete all posts from the wall?')) return;
var deletePostLink = document.body.querySelectorAll('a.ui_actions_menu_item[onclick^="wall.deletePost"]');
for (var i = 0; i < deletePostLink.length; i++) {
deletePostLink[i].click();
}
alert(deletePostLink.length + ' posts deleted');
}());
- When prompted, confirm the deletion. The script will remove all visible posts. If older posts appear after, repeat the process.
2. Check Your Videos and Photos
You don’t have to write a post to get in trouble—just uploading a “problematic” video or an “offensive” image can be enough. To see which videos are linked to your account, click “Videos” in the left menu and go to “My Videos.” For photos, check the “Photos” section.
Images you save from your feed are stored in the “Saved Photos” album. Since January 2017, only you can see this album by default. However, there have been reports of criminal cases based on images in albums set to private, so be cautious.
3. See How Others View Your Page
VKontakte allows you to finely tune your privacy settings—decide what information is visible to everyone, just friends, or only you. You can also control whether your page is searchable and visible to non-registered users.
At the bottom of the privacy settings page, there’s a link to view your profile as someone else would see it. Use this to make sure you’re not sharing too much. To edit or remove personal info (like your address, birthday, or phone number), click “Edit” under your profile picture. For phone numbers, you can specify who can see them.
4. Review Connected Sites and Apps
You can use your VKontakte account to log into other services and apps, which is convenient but also shares some of your data (like your name, birthday, photo, and email). Some apps may request more access, such as to your groups or private messages.
In VKontakte’s settings, go to “App Settings” to see all connected services. Remove any you don’t recognize or no longer use by clicking the “X” next to them.
5. Check Your Documents
VKontakte has a “Documents” section where you can upload files (GIFs, PDFs, archives, etc.), including those sent via private messages. All new files are private by default, but in the past, users have accidentally left sensitive documents (like passport scans) visible. Double-check your documents and their privacy settings by clicking the pencil icon next to each file.
6. Make Sure Your Account Is Secure
VKontakte offers two-factor authentication for added security. Enable it in the security settings. When logging in from a new browser, you’ll receive a code via SMS or private message.
You can also see a list of recent logins by city and device. If you notice anything suspicious, click “End all sessions” and change your password immediately.
7. Paranoid? Don’t Install VKontakte on Your Phone
This advice applies to all social networks, but since we’re talking about VKontakte: mobile apps may request access to your contacts, SMS, and location. VKontakte says this is only to confirm your number during registration and to provide features like finding friends nearby, geotagging photos, targeted ads, and recommending local live streams. You must grant permission before the app can access SMS or location data. If you don’t trust corporations, it’s best not to install the app at all.