Facebook security: Recommended privacy settings for Facebook

Facebook security: Recommended privacy settings for Facebook

ID fraudsters target Facebook and other social networking sites to harvest information about you. Security experts recommend you set the following Facebook privacy options to protect against online identity theft.

Facebook walkthrough - adjust your privacy settings
This guide walks you through Sophos-recommended privacy settings in Facebook, and shows you how to set more secure levels of privacy and reduce the chance of becoming a victim of online identity theft.

Profile
Controls who can see your profile

Search
Allows you to decide who can find you

News feed and mini-feed
Controls what information is published about your activities

Poke, message and friend request
Controls what information you share with people you contact

Applications
Controls what information Facebook applications can access and share about you

General security tips for Facebook

Adjust Facebook privacy settings to help protect your identity
Unlike some other social networking sites, Facebook has provided some powerful options to protect you online - but it's up to you to use them!

Think carefully about who you allow to become your friend

Once you have accepted someone as your friend they will be able to access any information about you (including photographs) that you have marked as viewable by your friends. You can remove friends at any time should you change your mind about someone.

Show "limited friends" a cut-down version of your profile

You can choose to make people 'limited friends' who only have access to a cut-down version of your profile if you wish. This can be useful if you have associates who you do not wish to give full friend status to, or feel uncomfortable sharing personal information with.

Disable options, then open them one by one

Think about how you want to use Facebook. If it's only to keep in touch with people and be able to contact them then maybe it's better to turn off the bells and whistles. It makes a lot of sense to disable an option until you have decided you do want and need it, rather than start with everything accessible.

This article was provided by Sophos and is reproduced here with their full permission. Sophos provides full data protection services including: security software, encryption software, antivirus, and malware.