Facebook Privacy Settings You Might Not Know About
May 10, 2010 - By Erin Stuelke
Facebook’s privacy settings have been a topic of heated debate recently. The social networking site is being heavily criticized for its seemingly blatant disregard for its users’ privacy by making security settings “Opt-Out” rather than “Opt-In” as well as being incredibly difficult and convoluted to find and change to a more preferable setup. If you’ve been reluctant to delete your Facebook account but still want things more secure, you are well aware Facebook does not keep all security and privacy information in one easy-to-find location. So if you want to change anything, you’ve got a lot of clicking to do.
Most of the articles and blog posts floating around right now talk about what steps you need to take to change your Privacy and Application Settings, opting out of Instant Personalization (or you can have Al Franken take you through the steps), and even permanently delete your account. but I’ve yet to see an article discussing the Account Settings portion of your profile. So get ready for yet another round of clicking to protect your privacy…
From the Account drop down menu on the top bar, click Account Settings.
There are several sections in Account Settings that contain options related to privacy & security.
Settings. This is the all-purpose account settings tab that allows you to set up your name and username, change your password and email, and deactivate your account (this is not the same thing as deleting your account). But this section also has two other options you should be aware of:
This option is extremely important if you’re trying to deactivate or delete your account. For some reason, Facebook takes 14 days to actually delete/deactivate. If you log in within that 14 days, your account is auto-magically restored. If you are going the deactivate/delete route, or you just don’t want any accounts linked to Facebook, be sure to remove any you have listed here.
This seems to be one of the few ways Facebook is showing concern for its users. However, the default for this option is “No”. If you want these notifications, be sure to click “Yes”.
Networks. If you are a part of any network and depending on how your Privacy Settings are set, any person in that network, regardless if they are your friend or not, can view your information. If you don’t want that, you can either remove yourself from all networks, or check your Privacy Settings to ensure “Only Friends” or “Only Me” are set for each option.
Mobile. Facebook allows you to connect your cell phone to account and receive SMS notifications. If you are not actively using this feature, it’s a good idea to disconnect your phone from Facebook. There are no indications that Facebook is using your cell phone information, but why take that chance if you’re not receiving texts?
Payments. Given Facebook’s sheer lack of respect for privacy, it’s probably a good idea not to store any of your credit card, bank or paypal information with them. I would recommend removing any information from this section.
Facebook Ads. The final section deals with what I now consider the most controversial topic regarding Facebook: advertising. Notice how the disclaimer for the rights to use your name and photos in ads is currently not allowed by Facebook? But then it goes on to say that should it be allowed in future… Given the way Facebook’s been behaving lately, it’s probably a safe bet that they will allow this in future. Of course, the default option is “Only my friends”, meaning you’ll need to take the responsibility to ensure this doesn’t happen. Be sure to opt out of both the “Ads shown by third party applications” and “Ads shown by Facebook”.
Facebook truly has made privacy “Opt Out”. I think the service Facebook provides is invaluable, but it’s not necessary. If they continue down this path, there will be a lot people “Opting Out” of Facebook altogether.
Related posts:
- Facebook Privacy: How to Secure Your Profile from the Social Graph
- Facebook announces plan to rescue your privacy, avert the Facepocalypse
- Facepocalypse Now: How to delete your Facebook account forever
- FTC Called Upon to Regulate Social Networking Privacy for Facebook
- Facebook Places – What would Jason Bourne do?
Good point. Though no matter what, people would not opt out. When privacy is opt out, the smart users benefit. Maybe that is what FB wants. Who knows.
I would not keep my credit card details with them if I were you.
It’s crazy how much you have to go through to keep your account as private as possible now.
It’s an amazing change from the old days when Facebook was “by invitation only.”