Get smart with Facebook: 5 must-know privacy settings
Posted on November 15, 2011
Tags: Facebook, facebook privacy settting, manage facebook, privacy 5 must know facebook privacy setting, privacy setting, Security & Privacy, Social Networks
Facebook is the most popular social networking site. Here you can connect online with your friends and family, even for that matter your colleagues and professional contacts.
Each and every moment of your life is documented as you share your opinions, status update, photos, personal experiences and other details on a day-to-day basis. Intrinsic details of your personal life are out there for everyone to view. This presents a potential challenge to maintain your privacy online.
Enjoy Facebook responsibly- Facebook has some recommended settings by default. In most cases, they are not crafted to individual requirements. Customising the settings as per your requirement is the best option to secure yourself.
These settings are easy to set, though there is no guarantee that the profile is watertight against privacy intrusions, still it serves as must-have primary security measure. Here is a list of “must-know” privacy settings that you should be familiar with:
1. Manage display setting of birthday, address and phone number on your Facebook wall
Ideally, your age, address, current city, and your personal number are the details you will not want to share on Facebook Wall. If these details are stolen they may pose a threat to your identity.
This has multiple implications; people who might be stalking you on Facebook can end up at your front door in real life! Like a UK based journalist experienced first-hand, when a ‘fan’ befriended 29 pals of the journalist and later contacted him!
If you want to keep strangers away from knowing your personal details then get the Facebook settings right:
On the top panel of Facebook Profile Page where your contact and personal information is displayed, find the option of “Edit Profile”. Click to find a list of options where you can change your settings. The last option on the list is “Contact Information” (Refer the snapshot below for more details).
2. Manage friend list, education and likes on Facebook
There are things that you may not think twice before sharing on wall, but as it’s said, ‘action speaks louder than words’ such little things tell a lot about you, your interests, likes and preferences leave a footprint to your personality. This information makes you susceptible to profiling that may lead to an unpleasant experience.
For those who might want to laugh this off as paranoia, you might want to rethink this issue when you hear the confessions of Facebook stalkers
Tip: A list of information appears. Delete what isn’t necessary. To avoid unwarranted profiling, set your profile to ‘Friends Only’. There are few details that a person wants to keep to themselves. In that case, adjust your settings to ‘Only me’.
3. Manage Photos and Places
Photo tagging can get very messy and irritating. Your friends may tag you in a hilarious picture that can make you an office joke. You also would definitely not want your boss to know on ‘Facebook Places’ that you are out of town with friends while on a “sick leave”!
To avoid getting into situations, we suggest you go for a minor alignment of your Facebook profile settings.
Here’s how you can tackle this Facebook privacy issue smartly:
Firstly, click the down arrow button besides “Home” and go to the option “Privacy settings”. Please take a note of the fact that your information is “Public” by default. If you do not wish strangers to view your pictures or tag you in any picture, refer to the snapshots given below:
4. Uninstall games and apps once you are done with them
The games and apps you use on Facebook store your profile information – friends, locations, etc. You cannot completely disallow them from not accessing you information, but you can definitely block them later once you are done using the game or the app.
Here’s how you do it.
In “Privacy settings” option, find “Blocked people and apps” to block unwanted people and apps here. Refer to the snapshot for more details.
5. Manage your contacts
Did you know, Facebook lets you decide what to share and with who?
Facebook contact list helps you segregate contacts and create customised lists for- family, friends, best friends, office colleagues, hobby friends, etc. Organising contacts into lists gives you control over information access to groups, that lets you enable or block their access to your details and activities.
Tip: Once you’ve created lists, you can specify actions for them in privacy settings. Just click the button beside a privacy option and select ‘Customize’. To grant access to a list, select ‘Specific People’ under ‘Make this visible to’. Type the name of your list. To block access to a list, type the list name under ‘Hide this from’. When you’re done, click ‘Save’ Setting.
The purpose of being on social media sites so far has been to let people know your daily activities, but there are chances of information being misused. The recent identity thefts and scams are some good reasons to relook at your privacy settings and get them corrected.
Remember, the best way to stay protected from online frauds is to stay informed. We recommend that you keep a track of your privacy settings and change your passwords every 2 months.
After all, as the good old saying goes, ‘Prevention is better than cure’, it’s better to be prepared.
