How To Improve Your Facebook Security And Privacy
Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms on the internet. It’s a great way to stay connected with friends and family, but it can also be a privacy and security nightmare if you don’t take the time to configure your settings correctly.
We spend more and more time on the internet, especially social media. Hackers have taken advantage of this, and every day FACEBOOK SCAMS in Us are becoming more frequent and sophisticated. This blog post will discuss 10 Facebook privacy and security settings that you need to change right now.
- Why are Facebook users the target of cyberattacks?
- 1. Clear your history
- 2. Hide your location
- 3. Avoid Using Facial Recognition
- 4. Delete apps that track you off Facebook
- 5. Enable two-factor authentication
- 6. Stop Google from showing your Facebook account in search results
- 7. Limit the number of people who can see your posts
- 8. Don’t allow Facebook to advertise your information
- 9. Don’t use like or share Facebook buttons
- 10. Clean up your friend list
- Conclusion
Why are Facebook users the target of cyberattacks?
Facebook boasts more than 2 billion monthly active users, with around 1.62 billion visiting the platform daily. This means that there is a vast pool of potential targets for hackers and scammers.
Facebook has a lot of information on its users. This information is important for hackers because it allows them to create targeted attacks. For example, Facebook knows your name, email address, phone number, and date of birth. This information will enable hackers to create convincing phishing emails that will likely fool you into clicking on a malicious link or entering your login credentials.
In addition, Facebook also knows your interests, friends, and what pages you have liked. Hackers can use this information to create fake websites that look like real websites that you might use. For example, if you have liked a couple of travel pages on Facebook, a hacker could create a fake website that looks like the booking website for a major airline and try to get you to enter your login credentials.
Although Facebook is one of the most popular social networking platforms, it’s important to remember to change your privacy and security settings often. Here are ten Facebook privacy and security setting changes you should make immediately.
1. Clear your history
The first step is to clear your history on ‘Off-Facebook Activity’. When you’re not using Facebook, it still keeps track of what you do. If you’re still logged into your Facebook account and visit an app or website, Facebook will automatically get data about your activity.
Facebook used to keep this data hidden from people. But now you can change that. You can adjust and delete information that the company knows about you through a menu called “Off-Facebook Activity.”
When you use the Clear History button, your profile data is dissociated from your account. As a result, Facebook will no longer show you targeted ads. However, it won’t stop generating analytics reports from other websites. If you want to stop that, you must log out and visit other websites. If you disable Future Activity, you will not be able to sign into other apps or websites with Facebook.
To clear your history on the Facebook mobile app, follow these steps:
- In the bottom right of the Facebook app, tap the three-line menu.
- Tap on Settings.
- Keep scrolling until you see Off-Facebook Activity.
- Check the apps that use your activity and confirm if you want to delete the data.
- To remove your history, tap Clear History.
To erase your browsing history on the Facebook website:
- Go to the top right of Facebook and click on the dropdown menu arrow. After that, select Settings & Privacy.
- On the left column of your screen, tap Your Facebook Information.
- To review your Off-Facebook Activity, click Manage Your Off-Facebook Activity.
- After you verify your password, the apps and sites that have shared ads with your Facebook will be displayed.
- To delete this information, click Clear History.
2. Hide your location
If you disable location services on Facebook, it won’t use your exact location to show you targeted ads. However, even if you do that, Facebook still has access to your network location information. So, disable the feature on both your phone and the app settings.
Disable location on Facebook mobile
- Go to Settings and tap Privacy.
- Tap Location Services, followed by Facebook.
- Tap Never to disable location services.
To do this on the mobile app:
- On the bottom right, tap the icon with three lines.
- Locate Settings & Privacy, then select Privacy Shortcuts.
- Select Manage Your Location Settings, then, Location Services.
- Tap Location and select Never.
3. Avoid Using Facial Recognition
Facebook uses facial recognition software to suggest tags for your friends in photos and videos. You can turn off this feature on both the mobile app and the website settings.
To disable it on the website:
- Go to the top right of Facebook, click on the dropdown arrow, and then choose Settings & Privacy.
- On the left column, select Face Recognition.
- Click Edit and choose No under “Do you want Facebook to be able to recognize you in photos and videos?” Select No in the drop-down menu to disable the setting.
4. Delete apps that track you off Facebook
Facebook allows third-party apps to access your information, even when you’re not using the app. To stop this, go to Settings and click on Apps and Websites. From here, you can delete any apps that have access to your profile information.
5. Enable two-factor authentication
Two-factor authentication is an additional element of safety for your account. You can enable it by going to Settings, Security and Login, then clicking Use Two-Factor Authentication, entering your phone number and confirming the code in the text to complete the setup. This way, you will avoid hackers stealing your account information.
6. Stop Google from showing your Facebook account in search results
Your Facebook profile is online and can be found by anyone who types in your name. This includes your social media account and all the publicly visible data on it. If you want to keep your Facebook profile hidden from search engines, follow these steps:
- On Facebook, click the downward-pointing arrow in the top right of your screen.
- Open Settings & Privacy, then Settings options, followed by selecting Privacy.
- Click “Edit” under the question, “Do You Want Search Engines Outside of Facebook to Link to Your Profile?”.
- Toggle the switch at the bottom to turn off this feature.
7. Limit the number of people who can see your posts
The fewer people who have access to your information, the better. You can limit the number of people who see your posts by opening the Settings & Privacy menu, then clicking on Settings and then Privacy, scrolling down to the option Who can see your future posts? And clicking Edit. There you can adjust the settings for specific audiences. You can change who can see your previous posts by scrolling down to Limit Past Posts.
8. Don’t allow Facebook to advertise your information
Have you ever seen an advertisement that tells you which of your friends Likes it? That’s because Facebook automatically uses these endorsements to target ads to you and your friends. Furthermore, the ads your friends see will be similar to the kinds of ads you Like.
You can choose to keep your interests and Likes more private by disabling the setting. Follow these steps on your desktop:
- Open the Settings & Privacy menu, click Ads, and then Ad Settings.
- Click Social Interactions and ensure that Only Me is selected.
9. Don’t use like or share Facebook buttons
If you use a Facebook button on another website, you’re helping Facebook show ads to other people. Whenever you share, like or recommend something, it becomes part of the data that Facebook uses to figure out what to show you.
Even if you have disabled tracking outside of Facebook, using these buttons is like permitting it to know what you’re doing. Just don’t use them. If you need to share something, copy and paste it into a post.
10. Clean up your friend list
It’s easy to add friends on Facebook, but do you want all those people to have access to your information? It’s a good idea to clean up your friend list and remove anyone you don’t know or trust. This will limit the number of people who can see your posts, comment on them, and message you.
To remove friends, go to your profile page and click Friends below your cover photo. Hover over each friend and click the button with three dots that appears, then choose Unfriend. Alternatively, if you want to limit their access without removing them as friends, click the Friends button and select Edit Friend List. From there, please create a new list for limited access and adjust their privacy settings accordingly.
Conclusion
Using these tips, you can improve your privacy and security on Facebook. Remember to regularly check and update your settings and be cautious about what you share online. Stay safe!
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