A lot of people never think twice about their Facebook privacy settings, but dismissing them can be a huge mistake. Unbeknownst to users, their information and photos can be accessible to anyone with internet access, anywhere in the world. If you’ve never thought about your privacy settings, here are 10 things you need to know about them
- There are different privacy settings for your posts.
Each time you post, you’re able to change who gets to see the post. You can allow everyone to see the post, only your friends, or you can select individuals who can and cannot see it. It’s important to check this setting, as your private information could be displayed for everyone to see. Just log into Facebook, go into “Settings,” and click “Privacy.” The first option should be “Who can see my stuff?” There, you can edit who sees your future posts. - You can change your privacy setting for each post.
Did you know you change who can and cannot see specific posts? If you wish to hide a post from your parents or significant other, Facebook makes it incredibly easy. When you go to update your status, there will be a small button at the bottom that either says “Friends,” “Public,” or “Only Me.” Click this button and choose which you would like. There are more options available as well if you click “More Options.” - These privacy settings will remain selected.
When you change the post settings through “Settings” or your post, every status update you make from that point on remains on that setting, meaning if you select “Only Me,” every update you make will only show up to you, and no one else can see your status. - Other websites can find you through your Facebook profile.
Due to Facebook’s default setting, if someone searches for you using Google, Yahoo, or another search engine, your profile may appear. If you’d prefer not to have your Facebook profile pop up in Google, go into “Settings,” click “Privacy,” and the option to modify this feature is under the section, “Who can look me up?” Next to the question, “Do you want search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile?” simply click “Edit” and uncheck the box to change your preference. - People can look you up by your phone number and email address.
While this feature may be useful for people with common names, you may not want people to find you through your phone number or email. Unfortunately, there is a default setting in Facebook that makes it possible for people to find you this way. To edit this option, go into your privacy settings and change it with a few clicks of a button. - You can create better friends lists.
If you find yourself often making posts that are for certain people, you can make an individualized friends list and post only to them. Just log into Facebook and hover your mouse cursor over “Friends.” An option for “More” pops up—just click it, and you can make a list of whoever you want! - Random people can send you friend requests.
If you hate it when random people send you friend requests, you can change this option quickly through your privacy settings. The option to do so is under “Who can contact me?” You can change it where anyone can send you requests or just friends of friends. - You can see who has logged onto your account.
You can’t see the name of a person who has logged onto your account, but you can look at your recent login history to see where the person accessed it. Go into your account settings and click “Security.” From there, go to “Where You’re Logged In.” There, you can see every place your account was accessed from a mobile device, desktop, or messenger. - You can choose what personal information you share.
People who log onto Facebook can see your info through apps they use. This information can include your hometown, current city, your current posts, and even your family and friends. If you don’t want anyone to be able to access this data, go into your account settings and select “Apps.” From there, click “Apps Others Use,” and select what information you’re comfortable sharing. - You can make your contact information private.
Did you know your phone number may be available for the world to see? It’s a default setting that also applies to your email address, full name, birthday, job, and anything you’ve added on Facebook. If you’d rather this information not be available to everyone, you’ll be happy to know you can change this setting by simply going into your “About” section on your profile page. There, you can choose what strangers and friends can see. Hover over your info with your mouse and an icon will pop up to edit, then just choose who you want to see it.
