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Facebook Privacy Settings

Last modified: 2012-03-07 00:34:28 EET

Open Account menu (the arrowhead on the top right pointing down) and click Privacy Settings.

Setting default sharing options for posts

First, locate the Control Your Default Privacy section and click Friends there. This will be the default setting for all new posts and photo uploads. Never use Public here - this will make all your data visible to the whole world!
Those who need very specific and fine-tuned access settings can select the Custom option here and specify who (or which lists) can see their posts.

Controlling who can contact you on Facebook

Move down and click Edit Settings link in How You Connect section.

To be visible and discoverable on Facebook, leave Who can look up your timeline by name or contact info and Who can send you friend requests options set to Everyone. This allows Facebook to work the way it is intended to - connect you with your friends. If you do not want to be contacted or found by anyone else other than your current friends on Facebook, set these options to Friends. You can also use Friends of Friends for an in-between privacy option.
But be wary about what you share - if your security questions for recovering passwords for any online service (your bank, your e-mail accounts, etc) are as simple as "what is your pet's name" or "what is your home town", then just visiting your Facebook profile might give enough information for hacking your accounts!
Set all other options to Friends or Friends of Friends.
After making changes, click Done.

Configuring tagging

Next, click Edit Settings link in How Tags Work section.

First, click in the Timeline Review section. This setting allows reviewing all posts containing a tag with your name before they end up on your timeline/profile (Wall). Please remember that you can still be tagged on other users' Walls, though!

To use the Timeline Review feature, select Enabled and click Back.

Next, click in Tag Review section. This allows reviewing all posts where friends want to tag you on your Timeline/profile (Wall). Please note that people can still tag you on other persons' Walls.

To start using the feature, select Enabled from the combo box on top right. Then click Back.

Next, select Friends except Acquaintances from the Maximum Timeline Visibility section. Those who want more control over tagged posts on their Walls can select Custom here and specify lists or specific friends who can or cannot see the items.

After this, click in the Tag Suggestions section. This one allows turning off tag suggestions of you on photos and videos your friends upload.

Verify that the Suggest tagging you when friends upload photos that look like you setting is set to No one. Then click Okay.

Finally, click in the Friends Can Check You Into Places section. This setting controls whether your friends are able to add location information to the posts that contain your tag. The setting is applicable to the old mobile Places application only.

Make sure the setting is Disabled and then click Okay.

Click Done in the How Tags Work window.

Limiting Facebook Apps' and Websites' access to your data

Sometimes your friends or even you might accidentally reveal your private information on their Facebook-connected websites or via a Facebook applications. To prevent this from happening, click Edit Settings link in Apps and Websites section.
Please remember that all Facebook applications are always able to reveal your name, profile picture, gender, current city, networks, friend list and pages no matter what. Additionally, any information you choose to show to Public can be revealed via Applications. That's Facebook, either get over it, turn off all apps or delete your account...

First, you can disable some applications you do not want to use anymore by clicking the Remove unwanted or spammy apps link or by clicking the Edit Settings button on the right.

Apps tab in the Facebook Account Settings page appears. Here you can click on any listed application to remove it or to see what information it has access to.
In This app can section, access rights that state Required on the right, cannot be removed. You can click Remove app on top right to delete the application permanently in such case. You can delete these access rights that have a Remove link to the right.
You can select who will see this application's notification on your Facebook Timeline in the App activity privacy section. For games and other talkative apps, I strongly recommend selecting Only Me.
The Notifications section controls when to send information pop-ups within Facebook window. Normally, The app sends me a request is selected. Other options are A friend sends me a request and Never. You can select the last option for apps that bother you with useless information.
After making changes, click your browser's Back button (or use keyboard shortcut Alt+Left arrow) to return to Apps, Games and Websites settings of your Facebook Privacy Settings.

You can also turn off all applications, games and Facebook-connected web sites completely by clicking the Turn off all apps link. This one is your best bet for keeping your information private on Facebook and it disables all other items on the page, except for the Public Search. No applications means no information leakage through the apps! But remember, this also means no games (such as Farmville or Angry Birds) and no safety applications such as BitDefender safego...

Turn Off Apps and Websites window opens. To select all applications in the list quickly, use the Select all check box. This enables the Turn Off Apps button - click it to disable all Facebook applications.

To prevent your friends from accidentally revealing too much information about you to Facebook applications or connected web sites they use, click Edit Settings button to the right of How people bring your info to apps they use.

In the following window clear all check boxes. Then click Save Changes.

Disabling Instant Personalization

Since April 2010, Facebook has a feature called Instant Personalization that allows some applications (such as Facebook Docs, Pandora and Yelp) dig personal data from your account. In addition, the approved applications can easily notify your friends about what you are doing without any confirmation. This feature is turned on for every user by default on Facebook.
Many people think this is a major privacy concern. To disable the sneaky feature, click Edit Settings button right to Instant personalization.

If an introductory video appears in a pop up, close it. You can view if safely, but don''t fall for the candyman''s tricks - Instant Personalization is a major privacy threat!

Clear the Enable instant personalization on partner websites check box and then click Back to Apps button.

Disabling search engines' access to your profile

As major public search engines Google, Bing and Yahoo now index Facebook contents, your posts can be revealed via those even if you delete the items from Facebook. You wouldn't want everyone to know about your secrets would you? Well, do not post them in first place!
Facebook itself also contains a search engine for finding your friends and for your friends to find you, so you can always safely turn off Public Search.

Click Edit Settings button right to Public search.

Clear the Enable public search box to disable major search engines' access to your information on Facebook. Then click Back to Apps button.

Click Back to Privacy button after making changes on Apps and Websites page.

Resetting access rights of your older posts

In August, 2011, Facebook finally gave a tool to reset rights on older posts on your Timeline/profile (Wall). Before this, people had to manually change rights on all older posts (most of which were shared with the whole world).
To limit access to previous posts, click the Manage Past Post Visibility link in the Limit the Audience for Past Posts section.

Click Limit Old Posts.

Block Lists - blocking and unblocking people and apps

To block and unblock people and applications, click the Manage Blocking link in Block People and Apps section.

First, you can add friends to your Restricted list - the selected users will see only these Timeline posts that you decide to share with Public (all Facebook users). Click the Edit List link to do that.
You can block and unblock other Facebook users by name or e-mail address in the Block users section.
The Block app invites section allows to specify hyperactive friends who tend to send invitations to using some applications way too often.
The Block event invites section allows to block friends who seem to make a compulsory invite to any party or event they''re attending to.
The Blocked apps section contains all applications you have blocked. For example, if you choose not to receive any friends'' Farmville update messages on your wall, this application appears here as blocked. You can unblock an application by clicking Unblock link next to its name.
After making changes, click Back to Privacy.

That''s it for Facebook Privacy Settings.  If you haven't already done so, please check Account Settings, too!

Comments

2012-04-04

23:02

TZ: +0300

www.winhelp.us wrote:

Resetting fan page suggestions

Hi Andrew! So far, there is no known way of removing fan page suggestions in Facebook.

2012-04-04

22:37

TZ: +0300

Andrew Glass wrote:

Reseting fan page suggestions

When I first started a fan page a year ago.. I suggested it to all my friends. I´m wondering if there is a way to "revoke" or "unsuggest" this page to people. In essence I´d like to reset that... Is that possible?? Thanks, AG

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