How to protect your privacy on facebook
Facebook is a incredibly powerful tool to maximize your cause's impact. It doesn't have a good reputation, though, for securing the often private information that you share with it, and for most of us it's hard to master the site's ever evolving privacy settings on Facebook.
It's all the more pressing, however, if you think you might be using the site to organize. Here's our guide to Facebook and privacy.
Have your own tip for maintaining privacy on Facebook? Share it in the comments section!
According to the latest privacy policy (as of October 5, 2010), Facebook collects a variety of information, including:
When you connect with a Facebook Platform application or website, Facebook receives information from them about your actions. Facebook also may receive information from advertising partners if you respond to ads displayed on Facebook.
If you live in a country where your online security is threatened, avoid using a picture of yourself as your profile photo, don't provide your full name, and always log out when you are not using the site.
Facebook is a incredibly powerful tool to maximize your cause's impact. It doesn't have a good reputation, though, for securing the often private information that you share with it, and for most of us it's hard to master the site's ever evolving privacy settings on Facebook.It's all the more pressing, however, if you think you might be using the site to organize. Here's our guide to Facebook and privacy.
Have your own tip for maintaining privacy on Facebook? Share it in the comments section!
Step 1.
Understand the Facebook jargon. Along with Facebook’s growth has come a whole new set of terms you need to know in order to better understand what information the website is collecting and sharing about you. Here are some common terms used by Facebook to familiarize yourself with:Public information: Facebook uses this term to describe information shared with anybody. Your name, profile picture, gender, and networks do not have privacy settings and are visible to anyone.
Visibility: What information can be seen by others looking at your profile. Remember: Some information can be seen by others that aren’t your friends or even registered Facebook users.
Pages: Facebook pages are different from profiles. They usually are for non-user entities like companies, public figures, products, etc. The pages you are affiliated with (by “liking” a page) are available to anyone, including people you aren’t friends with, advertisers, etc.
Connections: Created by “liking” a page (clicking the “Like” button). This is considered public information.
Social plugins: Tools that are “dropped” into any website to extend the “Facebook” social experience to other sites. For example, if you are logged into Facebook and are browsing CNN.com, you may see a “Like” or “Recommend” button next to the article. If you “recommend” the CNN article, a notification will be sent to your Facebook newsfeed that includes a link back to the CNN article. If you “like” an item, the “like” appears in your newsfeed and is also added to your “Likes and Interests” section on your Facebook profile.
Instant personalization: Lets you see relevant information about your friends the moment you arrive on select partner websites. Third party sites can give you a more personalized experience, which you may like, but it also allows these sites access to your personal data. If you don't want to use Instant Personalization, visit your Facebook Privacy Settings page for Applications and Websites and uncheck the "Allow" check box next to "Instant Personalization."
Networks: You have the option of joining a school or workplace network on Facebook. One network will be your “primary” network - usually the network you feel most closely associated with. Your primary network will appear next to your name and influences which search results you see first. You can check what networks you have joined by going to the Networks tab of your Account Settings page. To join a network, you have to validate your affiliation with that particular college, high school or work network via an authenticated email address.
Step 2.
Understand what information Facebook collects about you when you interact with the platform. Read Facebook's Privacy Policy and Privacy Guide.According to the latest privacy policy (as of October 5, 2010), Facebook collects a variety of information, including:
- Information on your activities you take while on Facebook such as creating a photo album, adding a friend, “liking” another user’s post, or sharing a video.
- Information from where you access Facebook from, whether it be from a compute or cell phone, including the browser you are using, your location and your IP address.
- Cookie information.
- Information from other Facebook users who interact with you, such as when a friend tags you in a photo of you.
Step 3.
Understand what information third parties collect about you and what information those third parties share with Facebook. Third parties are applications or websites that you use through Facebook such as games or utilities.When you connect with a Facebook Platform application or website, Facebook receives information from them about your actions. Facebook also may receive information from advertising partners if you respond to ads displayed on Facebook.
Step 4.
If you live in a country where your online security is threatened, avoid using a picture of yourself as your profile photo, don't provide your full name, and always log out when you are not using the site.
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