You may have heard about the complex and sometimes
controversial issue of privacy on Facebook.
But have you given any thought to the level of privacy you're comfortable with?
It's different for everyone.
Take Judy and Bryan.
Judy uses Facebook primarily to keep up with friends and family.
She prefers more privacy, because that way, she can talk about her personal life, but
still keep her private life private.
Bryan, on the other hand, uses Facebook a lot—for networking, making new connections,
and socializing in a very open way.
He prefers less privacy, because for him, putting himself out there is what it's all
about.
There are three different places where you can control your privacy on Facebook: under
privacy settings for your account… on individual posts… and on your profile.
Each item has its own set of options, so you can pick and choose what you want to share.
These options may seem confusing at first, but once you know what they mean, you should
have no problem customizing your account.
Let's take a look at the 6 most common options you'll find while adjusting your privacy.
The first is Friends, which is a popular choice for a lot of content on Facebook.
Basically, this option will protect the item in question so only the people you've added
as Friends can see or interact with it.
Friends is the perfect choice for things that you want to share—just not with people you
don't know.
Another similar option is Lists.
Lists let you organize your friends into groups, so when you share something with one of them
(for example, with your "close friends," but not your "co-workers"), only the people in
that list will be able to see it.
This gives you the freedom to share what you want, but not necessarily with everyone you
know.
The next option, Friends of Friends, is slightly less secure.
It extends access not only to your friends, but also to their friends.
This can include people you don't know—even people you've deliberately chosen not to connect
with.
Therefore, you should only use this option if you feel comfortable sharing with anyone
your friends may have connected with.
Public is the least secure option.
It allows everyone on Facebook (and on the web) to view your profile, activity, and other
information.
It also opens you up to third-party applications and advertisers.
Only Me, on the other hand, is the complete opposite.
It prevents everyone but you from seeing the information in question.
For example, you may want to be the only person who can see photos that you've been tagged
you in.
That way, you don't have to worry about anything embarrassing or unflattering showing up on
your profile.
The last option is Custom.
This setting lets you decide (on an individual basis) who has access to your content.
It's especially useful for things like your contact information, photos, and other details
that you want to share with some of your friends, but not all of them.
You won't necessarily find these options attached to every item on Facebook.
Sometimes you'll only have one or two to choose from.
Sometimes you'll find what you're looking for under Custom instead.
You'll also find the options are slightly different across the web.
For instance, have you ever been to a site that lets you "like" or share things directly
to your timeline?
How about site that lets you sign in with Facebook, instead of creating a new account?
There's actually a word for this feature—it's called the Facebook platform.
And it can impact your privacy in a couple different ways.
Some sites use the platform to connect your account to their services.
Others use it to customize your experience based on your personal info.
To protect yourself, always read the description that's provided (including the site's privacy
policy), and don't agree to anything you're not comfortable with.
You can view or edit your connections to other sites by signing into your account.
In short, the key to understanding privacy on Facebook is simple: you control what you
share based on the choices you make.
Now you know what to look for, and what all the different settings mean.