How to Maintain Privacy on Facebook

Facebook offers many different options that allow users to customize and privatize their profile. If you are new to Facebook and do not know how to privatize your profile settings, below lists the most commonly used settings that will allow you to customize who views your profile and how much they see.

Instructions

1. Decide what degree of privacy you wish to maintain. On your "Profile" page, click the "Privacy " link on the top right corner of the screen.

2. Choose who you wish to view your profile and personal information by clicking the "Profile" link. The "Basic" tab allows you to customize who has access to your profile, status updates, photographs tagged of you, videos tagged of you, your friends list and your personal, work and education information. Each section is customizable allowing you to choose a different degree of privacy for each feature.

3. Decide who you wish to see your contact information by choosing the "Contact Information" tab located at the top of the "Privacy Profile" page. This tab will allow you to choose who you wish to see your IM screen name, telephone number, address, website and email address. This portion of the privacy settings is of particular importance. Think carefully about listing contact information such as your phone number and address. Unless you maintain very tight control of who has access to your profile and who your friends are, it is not recommended to post this type of information on the Internet.

4. Decide how you wish to be indexed on the Internet by choosing the "Search" link on the "Privacy" page. You can choose to remain anonymous by unchecking the "Public Listing " box and you can choose who can see your picture, view your friends list, send you email, and add you as a friend as well.

5. Control your news feed and mini-feed. News feeds and mini-feeds publish information about your activity and the activity of your friends on Facebook. When you change your profile, status, write on a friend's wall, comment on an image or add an application, it is published in all your friends' news feeds and in your news feed and mini-feed. You can choose what actions are published and which ones are not by choosing the "News Feed and Mini-Feed" link on the "Privacy" page.