5 Ways to Remain Safe on Facebook
As much fun as it is to use Facebook, it's easy to forget the dangers involved in connecting and sharing personal information with others at the site. With the average user having over a hundred friends listed, it's prudent to control what you share and how. By regulating and closely monitoring your connections, you can enjoy the benefits of social networking technology while minimizing the risks involved.
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Increase Privacy
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To a large degree, you can control whom you interact with on Facebook through its flexible privacy controls. Click "Account" and "Privacy Settings." Review the privacy settings for the various types of information you share and increase the restrictions as you feel is necessary. Under "Connecting on Facebook," select who can search for you, send you friend requests and messages and who sees your basic information such as hometown, work and interests. Under "Sharing on Facebook," limit who sees your posts, photos you're tagged in, bio, relationships and similar details. Don't share your home address, email and phone numbers with anyone unless you trust them.
Turn Off Public Listing
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Public listing lets anyone find your Facebook profile via search engines such as Google or Yahoo! Your public listing information includes your name, photo, sex and network. It may also include likes and interests if you haven't modified your privacy settings. To turn off public listing, click "Account" and "Privacy Settings"; then click "Edit your settings" below "Apps and Websites." Click "Edit settings" next to "Public listing." Deselect the check box to disable public searching.
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Turn Off Applications
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Any third-party Facebook application such as games must have access to certain information on your account before you can use them. Your friends may also share details about you when they use applications. Even when you limit what friends can share about you, basic details such as name, gender and photo are always visible. For utmost protection, turn off applications. On the "Privacy Settings" page, click "Edit" under "Apps and Websites." Click "Turn off platform apps." Note that you may lose saved information in these applications and websites.
Disable Places
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Letting everyone know where you are at any time can be dangerous or at the very least inconvenient. In "Privacy Settings," turn off "Include me in 'People Here Now' after I check in" so Facebook won't announce your presence at public areas to your friends. To stop your friends from checking you in to places, click "Edit settings" for "Friends can check me in to Places" and click "Disabled." Save your settings.
Use Block Lists
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If you're being hounded by an unwanted presence on Facebook, you can block that user. Once you block another Facebook user, that person will no longer be able to send you a friend request or interact with you at the site. The only exceptions are groups, games and apps that you may both be part of. To add a person to your blocked list, click "Edit your lists" under "Block lists" in the "Privacy Settings" page. You can block users, application or event invites or specific applications.
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