diff --git a/app/config.py b/app/config.py
index e27f8bd..687bf65 100644
--- a/app/config.py
+++ b/app/config.py
@@ -102,6 +102,9 @@ class Config(pydantic.BaseModel):
     emoji: str | None = None
     also_known_as: str | None = None
 
+    hides_followers: bool = False
+    hides_following: bool = False
+
     inbox_retention_days: int = 15
 
     # Config items to make tests easier
@@ -144,6 +147,8 @@ _SCHEME = "https" if CONFIG.https else "http"
 ID = f"{_SCHEME}://{DOMAIN}"
 USERNAME = CONFIG.username
 MANUALLY_APPROVES_FOLLOWERS = CONFIG.manually_approves_followers
+HIDES_FOLLOWERS = CONFIG.hides_followers
+HIDES_FOLLOWING = CONFIG.hides_following
 PRIVACY_REPLACE = None
 if CONFIG.privacy_replace:
     PRIVACY_REPLACE = {pr.domain: pr.replace_by for pr in CONFIG.privacy_replace}
diff --git a/app/main.py b/app/main.py
index ea357ab..62e5e69 100644
--- a/app/main.py
+++ b/app/main.py
@@ -403,6 +403,20 @@ async def _build_followx_collection(
     return collection_page
 
 
+async def _empty_followx_collection(
+    db_session: AsyncSession,
+    model_cls: Type[models.Following | models.Follower],
+    path: str,
+) -> ap.RawObject:
+    total_items = await db_session.scalar(select(func.count(model_cls.id)))
+    return {
+        "@context": ap.AS_CTX,
+        "id": ID + path,
+        "type": "OrderedCollection",
+        "totalItems": total_items,
+    }
+
+
 @app.get("/followers")
 async def followers(
     request: Request,
@@ -413,15 +427,27 @@ async def followers(
     _: httpsig.HTTPSigInfo = Depends(httpsig.httpsig_checker),
 ) -> ActivityPubResponse | templates.TemplateResponse:
     if is_activitypub_requested(request):
-        return ActivityPubResponse(
-            await _build_followx_collection(
-                db_session=db_session,
-                model_cls=models.Follower,
-                path="/followers",
-                page=page,
-                next_cursor=next_cursor,
+        if config.HIDES_FOLLOWERS:
+            return ActivityPubResponse(
+                await _empty_followx_collection(
+                    db_session=db_session,
+                    model_cls=models.Follower,
+                    path="/followers",
+                )
             )
-        )
+        else:
+            return ActivityPubResponse(
+                await _build_followx_collection(
+                    db_session=db_session,
+                    model_cls=models.Follower,
+                    path="/followers",
+                    page=page,
+                    next_cursor=next_cursor,
+                )
+            )
+
+    if config.HIDES_FOLLOWERS:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=404)
 
     # We only show the most recent 20 followers on the public website
     followers_result = await db_session.scalars(
@@ -460,15 +486,27 @@ async def following(
     _: httpsig.HTTPSigInfo = Depends(httpsig.httpsig_checker),
 ) -> ActivityPubResponse | templates.TemplateResponse:
     if is_activitypub_requested(request):
-        return ActivityPubResponse(
-            await _build_followx_collection(
-                db_session=db_session,
-                model_cls=models.Following,
-                path="/following",
-                page=page,
-                next_cursor=next_cursor,
+        if config.HIDES_FOLLOWING:
+            return ActivityPubResponse(
+                await _empty_followx_collection(
+                    db_session=db_session,
+                    model_cls=models.Following,
+                    path="/following",
+                )
             )
-        )
+        else:
+            return ActivityPubResponse(
+                await _build_followx_collection(
+                    db_session=db_session,
+                    model_cls=models.Following,
+                    path="/following",
+                    page=page,
+                    next_cursor=next_cursor,
+                )
+            )
+
+    if config.HIDES_FOLLOWING:
+        raise HTTPException(status_code=404)
 
     # We only show the most recent 20 follows on the public website
     following = (
diff --git a/app/templates.py b/app/templates.py
index f338d64..8d4e016 100644
--- a/app/templates.py
+++ b/app/templates.py
@@ -419,3 +419,5 @@ _templates.env.filters["privacy_replace_url"] = privacy_replace.replace_url
 _templates.env.globals["JS_HASH"] = config.JS_HASH
 _templates.env.globals["CSS_HASH"] = config.CSS_HASH
 _templates.env.globals["BASE_URL"] = config.BASE_URL
+_templates.env.globals["HIDES_FOLLOWERS"] = config.HIDES_FOLLOWERS
+_templates.env.globals["HIDES_FOLLOWING"] = config.HIDES_FOLLOWING
diff --git a/app/templates/header.html b/app/templates/header.html
index 1fe7d98..5c7467e 100644
--- a/app/templates/header.html
+++ b/app/templates/header.html
@@ -36,8 +36,12 @@
         {% if articles_count %}
             <li>{{ header_link("articles", "Articles") }}</li>
         {% endif %}
+        {% if not HIDES_FOLLOWERS %}
         <li>{{ header_link("followers", "Followers") }} <span class="counter">{{ followers_count }}</span></li>
+        {% endif %}
+        {% if not HIDES_FOLLOWING %}
         <li>{{ header_link("following", "Following") }} <span class="counter">{{ following_count }}</span></li>
+        {% endif %}
         <li>{{ header_link("get_remote_follow", "Remote follow") }}</li>
     </ul>
 </nav>
diff --git a/tests/test_public.py b/tests/test_public.py
index 083d518..1c94f3d 100644
--- a/tests/test_public.py
+++ b/tests/test_public.py
@@ -1,3 +1,5 @@
+from unittest import mock
+
 import pytest
 from fastapi.testclient import TestClient
 from sqlalchemy.orm import Session
@@ -31,7 +33,19 @@ def test_followers__ap(client, db) -> None:
     response = client.get("/followers", headers={"Accept": ap.AP_CONTENT_TYPE})
     assert response.status_code == 200
     assert response.headers["content-type"] == ap.AP_CONTENT_TYPE
-    assert response.json()["id"].endswith("/followers")
+    json_resp = response.json()
+    assert json_resp["id"].endswith("/followers")
+    assert "first" in json_resp
+
+
+def test_followers__ap_hides_followers(client, db) -> None:
+    with mock.patch("app.main.config.HIDES_FOLLOWERS", True):
+        response = client.get("/followers", headers={"Accept": ap.AP_CONTENT_TYPE})
+    assert response.status_code == 200
+    assert response.headers["content-type"] == ap.AP_CONTENT_TYPE
+    json_resp = response.json()
+    assert json_resp["id"].endswith("/followers")
+    assert "first" not in json_resp
 
 
 def test_followers__html(client, db) -> None:
@@ -40,14 +54,40 @@ def test_followers__html(client, db) -> None:
     assert response.headers["content-type"].startswith("text/html")
 
 
+def test_followers__html_hides_followers(client, db) -> None:
+    with mock.patch("app.main.config.HIDES_FOLLOWERS", True):
+        response = client.get("/followers", headers={"Accept": "text/html"})
+    assert response.status_code == 404
+    assert response.headers["content-type"].startswith("text/html")
+
+
 def test_following__ap(client, db) -> None:
     response = client.get("/following", headers={"Accept": ap.AP_CONTENT_TYPE})
     assert response.status_code == 200
     assert response.headers["content-type"] == ap.AP_CONTENT_TYPE
-    assert response.json()["id"].endswith("/following")
+    json_resp = response.json()
+    assert json_resp["id"].endswith("/following")
+    assert "first" in json_resp
+
+
+def test_following__ap_hides_following(client, db) -> None:
+    with mock.patch("app.main.config.HIDES_FOLLOWING", True):
+        response = client.get("/following", headers={"Accept": ap.AP_CONTENT_TYPE})
+    assert response.status_code == 200
+    assert response.headers["content-type"] == ap.AP_CONTENT_TYPE
+    json_resp = response.json()
+    assert json_resp["id"].endswith("/following")
+    assert "first" not in json_resp
 
 
 def test_following__html(client, db) -> None:
     response = client.get("/following")
     assert response.status_code == 200
     assert response.headers["content-type"].startswith("text/html")
+
+
+def test_following__html_hides_following(client, db) -> None:
+    with mock.patch("app.main.config.HIDES_FOLLOWING", True):
+        response = client.get("/following", headers={"Accept": "text/html"})
+    assert response.status_code == 404
+    assert response.headers["content-type"].startswith("text/html")