Facebook is a great Social Media tool. It is used by people all over, and you don’t need a lot of technical knowledge to get on and start communicating with friends and families. But how much do you know about what you are signing up for? Facebook is “free” from the user’s point of view, but they make money from selling your information to the highest bidder. Ever wondered why you get ads targeted to your interests or location? Facebook records demographics about you age, gender, location, relationship status, the stories you click on, the items you browse for… so much information! This information is a marketers dream, and they can target advertising down to specific demographics of people.
Just got engaged? Here are some ads on weddings and honeymoons!
Newly wed and female? Here are some ads on having a baby!
Single? How about some dating websites!
Did a search for “Home Loans”? Here are some ads from lenders!
The list goes on… So don’t be fooled by free services, everything comes at a price! That being said Facebook is still a great platform and I am not trying to discourage you from using it, I just want you to have a better understanding of how it works. Facebook has even created a handy little presentation to help you understand how they use your information.
So this brings us to the 10 Facebook Settings You Should Check Right Now?
#1 Privacy Check-Up tool
This isn’t a setting more so an overview of your settings which does allow you to make changes to some settings.
Located by clicking on the question mark symbol at the top right-hand corner of the screen. Facebook’s Privacy Check-Up tool allows you to review the audience of your Posts, which apps have access to post to your profile (and to restrict their access if you choose to), and review the personal contact information in your profile and change the visibility of that information.
#2 Where you’re logged in
Where you are logged in is found by clicking the drop down arrow next to the question mark icon at the top right, clicking on Settings and then clicking on Security and Login from the menu on the left.
Review the device details listed here, and if there are any old logins or locations you do not recognise, click on the three dots next to that line and either click Not You? or Log Out.
This tool is useful to ensure your account stays secure and to monitor any unwanted logins of your account.
#3 Who can see my stuff?
Who can see my stuff is found under Privacy in the Settings menu. This section allows you to lock down you default audience settings for future posts, review posts that you have been tagged in, and change the audience settings for past posts (so you don’t have to go through all of your old posts one by one to change the settings).
#4 Who can contact me?
Avoid getting unsolicited messages by locking down who can contact you. Found under Privacy in the Settings menu.
#5 Who can look me up?
You can restrict who can find you on Facebook using your personal contact details by editing this setting. From Anyone through to friends only. This one is also found under Privacy in the Settings menu.
#6 2-Factor Authentication
You can never have too much security. Nowadays it is easy for people to have their Facebook accounts hacked, which then leads to your friend’s accounts also being compromised. 2-Factor authentication is where your mobile is registered to receive an SMS code when you log in at a new location, making it more difficult for your account to be compromised. This setting is found under Settings then Security and Login.
#7 Control what apps have access to your profile
Over the years you may have approved a lot of apps to have access to your facebook profile without even realising. Time to spring clean your app list and remove old apps or restrict access for ones you do use. This section can be found under Settings and Apps.
#8 Review your Public Posts Filters and Tools
Located under Settings and Public Posts these tools allow you to set who can follow you, who can post comments on your public posts, notifications from those posts, change your Facebook username and edit/add your link to Twitter.
#9 Change your password
Honestly ask yourself, when was the last time you changed your password? Is it secure? Could it be easily guessed by someone that knew you?
That last question is important. If people that knew you could easily guess it then the chance are that if a hacker was interested in your account, it might not take them too long to figure out your password after analysing your social media profile.
Also, make your password harder to guess by using symbols and numbers. You can still have a password that is easy for you to remember by substituting symbols and numbers in place of letters. The option to change your password can be found under Security and Login.
#10 Turn off Auto Play Videos
This one isn’t security related, but I don’t know about you, but I hate that Facebook videos automatically play! Particularly on a metered internet. The Auto-Play can be turned off under the Videos tab under Settings.
What tips, tricks or advice do you have for people using Facebook? Share in the comments below.
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