Facebook Privacy – What You Need To Do Right Now.

Face it, by sheer design, Facebook is not about privacy.  It’s about sharing your life with others.  But who you share it with is somewhat in your control. I am amazed daily by friends and family who sign up for Facebook, set a few controls and proceed to share some pretty personal stuff with the planet. Maybe they don’t realize just how exposed they are? Maybe they haven’t even thought about it at all? For about a year now,  I have helped schools address this issue with our youth, but more and more, I realize we adults are the most naive and often, a lot more exposed than our kids.

I can find anything online, and this is a beautiful thing. Anyone can find anything online, and this is a troubling thing. You want to share and connect with your friends and family. You don’t want to supply endless personal data to marketers, spammers or individuals who may harm you.

Would you post a billboard downtown with your name, address, phone number, email address, who you’re dating or married to,  the names and ages of your children, where you went to high school and college, your political views, and a slew of pictures of you and the one you care about?

But we ALL happily post all of this information online for the entire planet.

So, let’s look at YOUR Facebook profile, shall we?

Log on to your Facebook account.
Click on “Account” (upper right hand corner) and click on “Privacy settings” in the drop-down menu.

1. Click on “Personal Information and Posts”

• You will notice “Photos” says “Edit Settings” – let’s get back to that one.
• Every other setting on this page should read “Friends Only”.
• You are also asked if you would like friends to be able to post on your wall. I say yes, but this is up to you.
• Now, let’s look at “Photos”. Click on “Edit Settings” and set every album to “Friends Only”. Now, go back to “Privacy Settings” again (upper left).

2. Click on “Contact Information

• Every setting EXCEPT “Add Me As a Friend” should read “Friends Only”.
• “Add Me as a Friend” should read “Everyone”, allowing all potential contacts to request you as a friend. Now, go back to “Privacy Settings” again (upper left).

3.  Click on “Friends, Tags and Connections”

• Every setting should read “Friends Only”. Now, go back to “Privacy Settings” again (upper left).

4. Click on “Search”

• “Facebook Search Results” should read “Everyone”
• “Public Search Results” is up to you. I allow search engines, such as Google, to show my profile in search results. Now, go back to “Privacy Settings” again (upper left).

5. Click on “Applications and Websites”

• Click on “What your friends can share about you “.  This is the most important application setting. By default, nothing can be shared except your name, sex, and profile photo — plus any information that fell under the Everyone option in the other privacy categories. Be certain all boxes unchecked. Now go back to “Applications and Websites” (upper left).
  
• Click on “Ignore Application Invites from Friends”. If you have certain friends who are always playing games, such as Farmville and seem to always be inviting you to join in the fun, just enter the friend’s name(s) here and you will still be connected to your friend in every way EXCEPT, no more annoying invites to participate in applications they consider to be fun. Now go back to “Applications and Websites” (upper left).
• IF you play games on Facebook, click on “Activity on Application and Games Dashboard. Be certain “Friends Only” is checked.  I highly recommend “Customize”, then click on “Only Me”. Now go back to “Applications and Websites” (upper left).
• Click on “Instant Personalization Pilot Program”. Be SURE the box at the bottom of the page is NOT checked. Recently, Facebook opened up Instant Personalization, another way for strangers and outsiders to view your personal information. Currently, there is a setting at the bottom of the Applications and Websites page called Instant Personalization Pilot Program. If you opt into this service, selected Facebook partner Web sites can instantly personalize their applications, based on your personal information.

You’re finished.

Please note the above suggestions are based on setting the highest privacy level possible. You may change ANY setting to offer less privacy, but I believe you should begin with the strictest settings and then decide where you want to relax your control.

As always, if you have any questions, just E-Mail Me.
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