Privacy Control in a Social Network

An approach is provided to provide privacy control in a social network. In the approach, a first post is posted from a first user to a second user in the social network with the first post including private data belonging to the first user. Subsequent postings are monitored for the first user's private data. When the monitoring detects a second post of the first user's private data with the second post being from the second user to a third user in the social network, privacy controls are performed. The privacy controls mask the first user's private data from the third user so that the first user's private data inaccessible (not visible) to the third user.