Before you start using your Facebook account, you should take some time to review your current
privacy settings, and explore some of the ways you can protect your information.
The privacy shortcuts feature is a great place to start.
Just click the icon in the upper right corner that looks like a padlock.
You can access the same feature in the mobile app.
This time, tap the More button… then scroll to the bottom of the menu and look for Privacy
Shortcuts.
As you can see, these are shortcuts to some of the most common privacy settings.
For example, you can quickly manage who's allowed to see your posts, and who's allowed
to contact you on Facebook.
You can even block someone if they're bothering you in some way.
I want to go a little deeper than these shortcuts, though.
So I'm going to click the link that says "See more settings."
On this page, you can manage several different things related to your privacy, including
the basic settings you see here, as well as Timeline and Tagging…
Blocking…
Apps… and Ads.
By default, Facebook's privacy settings are designed to promote social interaction and
the open exchange of personal information.
If you're comfortable with that, you can choose the settings that let you be more open and
social.
If you're not, here are some tips that will help you safeguard your privacy.
First, I recommend limiting who can see your future posts.
This includes status updates, photos, and other things that you decide to share.
Just click to view more information.
Next, use the audience selector to control who has access.
I recommend choosing either Friends or Custom to give yourself the most privacy.
This isn't the only place you'll find the audience selector.
You'll also find it in the status update box.
Here you can use it to change the audience for the current post—for example, if you're
sharing something different from what you normally post on Facebook.
But don't forget to change it back when you're done.
Any time you change the audience selector (here or in your privacy settings), you're
changing your default setting as well.
So pay close attention, and make sure you don't share anything with the wrong audience
by mistake.
Next we'll take a look at Timeline and Tagging.
You'll find the link in the left pane right under Privacy.
A tag is a way to identify someone on Facebook by posting their name and a link to their
profile.
Your friends can tag you by identifying you in photos, videos, and other posts (including
status updates).
Tagging can be fun, but it can also lead to trouble.
For example, say a friend tags you in something unflattering or inappropriate.
The tag will stay on your timeline, where other people will be able see it if you're
not careful.
This can include family, co-workers, and anyone else you have on your friends list.
To avoid unwanted tagging, these are the settings I recommend.
First, under "Who can add things to my timeline," enable the option that lets you review the
posts you've been tagged in before they appear on your timeline.
That way you can approve or deny them on a case by case basis.
Next, change the last two options under "Who can see things on my timeline."
Since Friends of Friends almost certainly includes people you don't know (even people
you've deliberately chosen not to connect with), it's safer to choose Friends instead.
Under "How can I manage tags people add and tagging suggestions," the first option is
another one that lets you review and approve tags before they appear on Facebook.
It's a good idea to enable this one too.
The last option uses something called facial recognition to help identify you in your friends'
photos.
It won't tag you in anything automatically, or identify you to people you don't know.
But if you prefer, you can change the setting to No One, and this will turn the feature
off.
Let's move onto app settings.
You can access this page by clicking Apps in the left pane.
Here you'll find ways to protect your privacy when it comes to playing games on Facebook,
or using your account to connect to other sites.
For instance, you may not want your friends to know how many hours you've spent playing
Candy Crush.
The same goes for the things you do outside of Facebook.
In this example, we'll look at the website CNN.com.
If you use your Facebook account to "like" an article at CNN.com, your friends can potentially
see that activity on Facebook—and on CNN's website.
These features are designed to make your experience on Facebook more open and social, but it can
be at the expense of your personal information or privacy.
It's important to educate yourself, and decide what level of sharing you're comfortable with.
To edit the settings for an app or a service that you're connected to, look for it on this
list.
Here you can learn more about the app, or change the way it uses your information.
To hide these details again, click Close.
If you want to remove the app all together, you can click the X on the very far right.
Even if you don't use any apps, the apps your friends use can access some of your personal
information.
Luckily you can control exactly what they have access to here.
For the most privacy, we recommend unchecking every box.
This will prevent your friends' apps from using your information without your knowledge.
The last protective step I'd like to show you has to do with advertisements on Facebook,
and the ways they can use your information.
To access these settings, click Ads in the left pane.
On this page, you can manage several types of ads, including ads shown on third-party
sites, and ads that are shown to your friends (also known as social ads).
All of this information is good to review, but I'm going to focus on Ads and Friends.
Here's an example of what a social ad looks like.
Let's zoom in so you can see how it works.
Say you use your Facebook account to "like" Denver Sushi.
(The original ad is on the left.)
Now Facebook can pair that ad with your name, and share it with your friends—almost like
an endorsement.
It's all based on the idea that people like knowing what their friends like.
If you're uncomfortable with that, though, you can disable the feature.
Just click the drop-down menu here, and choose No One.
Don't forget to click Save Changes when you're done.
Now you know some of the ways you can protect your information on Facebook.
To learn more, visit your privacy settings, and explore some of the options we talked
about today.