Tag Archives: privacy

Update Your Facebook Profile Settings to Restict Access

Facebook Profile Settings can be adjusted to restrict the amount of information you share with others. Some people are comfortable keeping a tight rein on their settings while others are less adverse to sharing. You can update your settings whichever way you choose.

To view or change your Facebook Profile Settings, start at  your profile page.

Profile settings

  1. Profile page, select “About.
  2. Click on Edit to Restrict personal information in each “About You” section.
  • I recommend you do not show your year of birth. This information can be used in identity thefts.
  • Update “Contact info” to show only that information that you are comfortable displaying.
  • Facebook Likes appear when Facebook automatically connects you with Community or Business Pages based on the music, books and movie you enter on your profile. To remove these references, visit the page and click “unlike”.

When these settings are adjusted to your satisfaction, be sure to click on “save”.

Update Your Facebook Privacy Settings for Your Comfort Level

Facebook with over 8,ooo,oooo users is a place to connect with friends. Facebook privacy setting can be confusing. If you do use Facebook, here are ways you can utilize Facebook privacy settings to restrict who sees the comments, pictures and videos you post.

On the upper right corner of Facebook, select “Privacy Settings” using the drop down arrow next to “Home.” One this page, you can set your Privacy Seeings to your comfort level. To strictly resist your content, choose “Friends” for most of these settings.

Facebook Privacy Settings choices:

  1. “Control Your Default Privacy” which apply to status updates and photos you post to your timeline from a Facebook app that doesn’t have the inline audience selector, like Facebook for Blackberry. Choose: “Public”, “Friends” or “Custom.”
  2. Adjust “How You Connect” to control how you connect with people you know.
  3. Adjust “How Tags Work” to control what happens when friends tag you or your content. “Timeline Review of posts friends tag you in before they go on your Timeline” (note: tags may still appear elsewhere on Facebook)
    *** When disabled, people can tag you in photos or status updates, and those items will automatically go to your Timeline.
    *** When enabled, you will be allowed to review it first. These posts will still exist in the timeline of the friend who created the content just not your Timeline until you approve it.
  4. Adjust Apps and Websites to control what gets shared with apps, games and websites.
  5. Adjust “Limit the Audience for Past Posts” to limit the audience for posts you shared with friends of friends or Public.
  6. Adjust “Blocked People and Apps” to manage the people and apps you’ve blocked.

After adjusting each of these settings, click on “Done” to save your choices.

By customizing your Facebook privacy settings, you control access to who sees the content you choose to share with others.

Facebook Privacy Starts With General Internet Best Practices

Fear of losing privacy on Facebook is one of the most common social networking fears I hear. People are concerned their personal information will become private, that everyone will know what they are doing or their financial data will be at risk.

While internet hacking does occur, your best defense begins with use of good general internet best practices. This is the best protection for your internet privacy.

  1. Never share personal information or anything you are uncomfortable with others seeing. Even with privacy settings, things can get out and become public on any site.This goes for for comments, pictures, video or any other medium. My benchmark is this: Would I feel comfortable with my Mom or Grandmother seeing this remark or picture I posted? If the answer is “no”, I know it is a comment which should not be made public.
  2. Use strong passwords and change them often. Create mnemonics to help remember your passwords. For example: “every good boy deserves fudge”  -> egbdf.
  3. Use a different passwords for each site so if someone gets access, they cannot get into all of your accounts.

This is some risk with any internet site. By using internet best practices, you are more likely to retain your privacy and keep your data secure.