5 Facebook privacy settings you should check right now
Whether you use Facebook to keep in touch with friends and family, share thoughts about the world, or just read news (real or fake), every interaction you have on the network is recorded somewhere. If you don't pay attention to your privacy settings, you may letting on more information than you'd like to.
We've created a brief, five-step Facebook security checkup that you can use to ensure your basic privacy is protected.
1. Stop unwelcome tagging before it happens
Don't like it when people tag you without asking first? You can activate the option to approve any tagging in your friends' posts before they appear on your Timeline and in others' News Feeds.
This is a simple setting to enable. Go to your Settings menu by clicking on the small drop down arrow at the top right of your Facebook page, then click on Settings.
Now click on the Timeline and Tagging menu on the right-hand side of your screen. You'll see the option to "Review posts that friends tag you in before they appear on your Timeline." Click the Edit option to the right and choose to enable.
You'll now receive notifications when anyone tags you and get the option to decide whether or not to allow the post on your Timeline.
2. Set up login alerts
It's a good idea to set up "login alerts" on Facebook so you can be informed, via Facebook notification, email or SMS message if someone has logged into your account from a previously unknown device or browser.
Go to your Settings menu, then click on the Security option at the top left of the screen.
From here, you can set up the alerts to go to the email address or phone number of your choosing.
If you want to be super-secure, from this menu you can also enable Login Approvals, which means logging into Facebook will require a code, sent to you via text, to access your account from unknown browsers.
3. Restrict who can see your past posts
If you're not sure if you've always been that savvy as far as your Facebook privacy goes, there is an option to tidy up any security issues after the event.
Head to Settings, then click on the Privacy menu on the left-hand side. Under the "Who can see my stuff?" heading, you'll see the option to "Limit The Audience for Old Posts on Your Timeline."
Click on the "Limit Old Posts" setting.
You'll now get a pop-up warning you this is not possible to undo and asking you to confirm your decision.
4. Double-check what personal info you're sharing publicly
Chances are you've updated your "About" section on various occasions over the years, but it's wise to take a look at it -- especially your personal and contact information to ensure you're not sharing more than you'd like.
To see what other Facebook users -- those you're not friends with -- can see on your profile, head to your profile page, then click the three small dots that appear at the bottom right of your cover photo. Now, select the option to "View As…"
This tool then lets you view your profile as anyone on the internet would. You may want to peruse this in more detail, but to specifically check what contact info you're showing the world, click on the "About" tab under your cover photo.
Now, you can cycle through the various areas of your About info, but any phone numbers, email addresses, your actual address, etc, would be under the "Contact and basic info" tab if you've made them public at any point.
To make any changes to what shows on this screen, go back to your profile, click the About tab and hit the "Edit" option next to anything you want to change or hide.
5. Review your Facebook-connected apps
The final thing to check is what apps you've given access to, and what permissions you're allowing each of them.
This is pretty simple, although depending on how many apps you've linked to your Facebook profile, it may be a long list. Go to your Settings menu, then select Apps from the menu on the left-hand side.
From here you'll see all the Apps you've interacted with over the years. Next to each icon it indicates whether you're keeping any action from the App private, or if you're sharing it with friends or even the public. To change these settings, click the "Edit" option.
When you click edit, you'll get a more detailed breakdown of that App's settings.
You can change the App's visibility, revoke access to certain information and change notification levels. If any app on the list looks suspicious or unfamiliar to you, definitely get rid of it.
Topics Cybersecurity Facebook Privacy
