7 Tips for staying safe / private on Facebook

Mr Yellow

If you wish to keep some privacy on facebook take a glance at the below, i came across it on yahoo when checking my mail! It seems useful as alot of folk have been asking me recently about their privacy settings etc, especially as Facebook keep changing it for their own benefit!!!

Please redirect this threadif it should be located elsewhere. Thx


1. Hide yourself from the public
This isn’t as straightforward as you might think and many people are under the impression that they are already hidden. But if you don’t apply these settings in multiple categories, other people will still be able to see your information. This is especially important for children’s Facebook accounts.
To protect yourself, click Account > Privacy settings > Profile information. Adjust your privacy settings for all 12 categories. Then click Back to Privacy > Contact information. Adjust your privacy settings for all 9 categories.

2. Don't let search engines find you
To help prevent strangers from accessing your page, go to Account > Privacy settings > Search. Select ‘Only friends’ for Facebook search results. Make sure the box for public search results isn't checked either.

3. Don’t allow Facebook to hand over your details to other companies
Unless you tell them not to, Facebook will give companies access to your profiles for research and advertising purposes. They can even use your details in the adverts themselves.
To stop Facebook from handing over your details, click Account > Privacy Settings > Applications and websites. Next to ‘Instant Personalisation Pilot Program’ click ‘Edit setting’. Make sure the box is not ticked at the bottom of the screen. To make sure you don’t appear in any adverts, go to Account > Account Settings > Facebook Adverts. Select ‘no one’ on ‘Allow ads on platform pages to show my information to’ and ‘Show my social actions in Facebook ads to’.

4. Make sure nobody else is using your account
This is a new feature which was rolled out by Facebook last week. It allows you to monitor which devices are being used to access your account.
Go to Account > Account settings > Account security. Click ‘Would you like to receive notifications for logins from new devices?’ and then click ‘Yes’ below.
Log out and log back in. You will be asked to name the device you are using. Then it will send you an email. Do this with each device you use to access your Facebook account. From now on, if anyone logs in to your account from a device you don’t use, you’ll receive an email telling you. If this happens, change your password straight away and report it to Facebook via the Help Centre.

5. Don’t put your full date of birth in your profile
It's an ideal target for identity thieves, who could use it to obtain more information about you and potentially gain access to your bank or credit card account. If you've already entered a birth date, go to your profile page and click on the ‘Info’ tab, then on ‘Edit Information’. Under the Basic Information section, choose to show only the month and day or no birthday at all.

6. Protect yourself from your friends
When your Facebook friends use applications they may be inadvertently sharing your details with third parties.
To protect yourself, click Account > Privacy Settings > Applications and websites > What your friends can share about you. Untick all of the boxes and then save your changes.

7. Don’t advertise your home
You should make sure you never post your full address on Facebook and certainly don’t put it under your ‘Info’ section.
If you’re going away on holiday, although tempting, it’s best not to advertise it on your Facebook page, or even to mention it on your friends’ pages. This is especially crucial if you or your friends’ profiles can be accessed by people not listed as friends. There have been numerous instances where people have gone away and returned to an empty home, just because they shared too much information on social media.

Dublinstiofán

Good work. Just changed that stuff now. I thought my facebook was secure. Now it is!

Here's a handy tool for scanning your Facebook privacy settings. Works a wonder.

SerialComplaint

-JammyDodger- wrote: »

Here's a handy tool for scanning your Facebook privacy settings. Works a wonder.

Mr Yellow wrote: »

If you wish to keep some privacy on facebook take a glance at the below, i came across it on yahoo when checking my mail! It seems useful as alot of folk have been asking me recently about their privacy settings etc, especially as Facebook keep changing it for their own benefit!!!

Please redirect this threadif it should be located elsewhere. Thx

Thanks - good tips.

Mimikyu

This post has been deleted.

IH77

Some great tips from the OP. But be aware that the privacy settings are changing again today! So it is probably wise to check everything is how you want it after the update. It is supposed to be simpler and hopefully the default settings will be set to the most secure for our data so people aren't left exposed for any period of time.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/10157454.stm

Facebook privacy settings to be made simpler

Social network giant Facebook will roll out a new set of privacy settings to all its users starting on 26 May.

The company said it will post the details on its blog.

Facebook faced a barrage of criticism from users over a series of tweaks that left its members unsure about how public their information had become.

Some profile owners have threatened to quit the site on 31 May in protest. Founder Mark Zuckerberg admitted the company had "missed the mark".

"I can confirm that our new, simpler privacy settings are starting to roll out tomorrow evening so stay tuned on our blog for more details," said a spokesperson.

Facebook's vice president of product Chris Cox described the last few weeks as "extremely humbling".

Significant changes to the settings began in December, when the social network changed the default rule on profile information. It became accessible online unless the user specifically opted out.

In April of this year Facebook data was opened up to third party websites.

Its current privacy policy has 50 different settings and 170 options. :eek: