Navigating the Minefield of Facebook’s Privacy Settings

When social media started building traction in the early 2000s, privacy was less of a concern due to the limitations of social media platforms, and perhaps because fewer people had access to the internet. Nowadays, thanks to security breaches and data leaks, we’re all very aware that our digital privacy is volatile.

With the vast amount of information available on your Facebook profile, it’s important to protect your privacy against identity theft, hackers, and people who may want to gain access to your account. By limiting personal data accessible by others, you can protect yourself and those around you.

To help you out, we’ve put together a checklist of steps you can take to lock down your Facebook profile. We’ve separated these by the different sections found within Facebook’s settings page .

FREE DOWNLOAD: This cheat sheet is available as a downloadable PDF from our distribution partner, TradePub. You will have to complete a short form to access it for the first time only. Download the Ultimate Facebook Privacy and Security Checklist Cheat Sheet .

1. Security and Login

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• Under the Security and login tab, check theWhere you’re logged in section to identify which devices you have logged into Facebook. If you see a browser or device you don’t recognize, select thethree dots next to it and chooseLog out . If you notice anything suspicious, selectNot you? .
• If you believe someone might have access to your Facebook, navigate to theLogin section ofSecurity and login , then selectChange password . You should create a difficult to guess passphrase , not the same as any you’ve had before (include upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters).
• Don’t want to save your login information? If someone else has access to your computer or devices, you can decide to not save your login information by editing theSave your login information option. Here you can remove an account or remove saved information from other devices.
• To tighten your security even further, you can add two-factor authentication to your Facebook account. You can use an authentication app, receive an SMS message, or security key when logging in from an unrecognized browser or device.
• Be made aware of any unrecognized Facebook login attempts by option toGet alerts about unrecognized logins under theSetting up extra security section.

2. Privacy

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• You should ensure that the visibility of your current and future posts match your expectations. You can do this by visiting the Privacy tab and navigating toYour activity . Future posts can be set to public, friends, friends except, only me, or specific friends.
• The activity section also allows you to review any posts or images you’ve been tagged in. You can accept or reject the tags by viewing theActivity Log .
• If you would prefer people not to view any of your past posts on Facebook , you can choose tolimit the audience for old posts on your timeline . This means any previous public posts or those you’ve shared with friends of friends will be limited to friends only.
• Privacy doesn’t just stop at your own information. You can limit the audience who sees the people, pages, and lists you follow. The same options apply here as they do for future posts.
• Locking down your Facebook security can make it difficult for people to find you, but you can adjust the settings in theHow people can find and contact you section. Here, you can allow everyone to send you friend requests, or only friends of friends.
• If people can’t find you via Facebook search using your name, they may be able to search for you by using the email address or phone number you provided when you signed up. You can remove this option by selectingOnly me , or limit this to friends or friends of friends.
• To ensure your Facebook profile cannot be found via search engines, selectNo under the Do you want search engines outside Facebook to link to your profile section.
• Don’t want to be hassled by strangers via Facebook Messenger? You can decide whether chats are received or filtered to message requests by adjusting yourPotential connections andOther people in theHow you get message requests settings.

3. Profile and Tagging

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• Although you can review your tagged posts and photos elsewhere, you’re able to adjust the global settings for these under the Profile and tagging tab. Here you can decide who can post on your profile.
• Once someone has posted something, it’s possible that posts on your profile by other people (friends, friends of friends, friends except, specific friends, and everyone) can be viewed. Be sure to set the audience to decide who can view posts by others on your profile.
• If you want to further customize your profile settings, you can hide comments containing certain words from your profile by adding words, phrases, or emojis. This means the comments containing these words will remain visible only to those who wrote them, and their friends.
• Allowing friends to tag you in photos or posts can be managed in theTagging section. Here, you can limit who sees the posts you’re tagged in, as well as the audience of the post.
• Not sure whether you’re happy with what you’ve been tagged in? You can review posts that you’re tagged in or tags that people add to your posts under theReviewing section.

4. Public Posts

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• The Public posts tab in Facebook settings allows you to decide who can follow you (including your posts, stories, and reels). This information can either be shared publicly or with your friends only.
• Once you’ve made a public post, you can adjust the audience that can comment on your posts. However, it’s worth noting that if you limit this to friends, their friends may still be able to comment.
• Some information on Facebook is always public, like your cover photos, profile pictures, and featured photos. You can manage who can like or comment on these, including public, friends of friends, or friends only.
• If you’ve commented or been tagged in a public group post that is then shared outside of Facebook, you may want to disable previews so that your username and profile picture isn’t displayed. This can be done through theOff-Facebook previews option.

5. Blocking

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• Adding people to your restricted list on Facebook via the Blocking tab means they’ll remain your friend on Facebook, but won’t be able to see the posts you share with your friends only.
• If you want to block a user on Facebook from seeing your timeline, tagging you, adding you as a friend, or even having a conversation with you, you can add them to your blocked list.
• To block someone from your Facebook and Facebook Messenger, you can add them to yourBlock messages list. You’ll need to ensure you block their profile on Facebook too.
• Nuisance apps you don’t want to receive notifications for? Using theBlock app invites andBlock apps options, you can stop invites from certain people to apps, or stop notifications from specific apps altogether.

6. Quick Tips

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• To ensure your privacy settings are up-to-date, you should run Facebook’s Privacy Checkup underSettings & Privacy . This is a short overview of your existing settings showing you who can see what you share, how people find you, and more.
• UnderGeneral Settings , you should make sure your name and contact details are accurate. If you lose access to your account and need to prove your identity, you’ll have to be able to confirm your details.
• Don’t want Facebook to know where you are? Check theLocation tab and turn off location history for your mobile devices.

Be Facebook Privacy Aware

By cleaning up past posts, being mindful of who sees your photos, and restricting access to your personal data, you can create a secure online presence on Facebook and other social media outlets. It’s worthwhile reviewing these settings periodically to ensure that everything is as locked as you want it to be.