Managing Facebook Privacy Settings

If you find Facebook privacy settings confusing, you're not alone.  Of the 1 billion Facebook subscribers, very few understand what information Facebook shares and with whom they share it.  Unless you manually update your privacy settings it's safe to assume that Facebook is sharing your information with anyone and everyone.

My preference is to only share posts, pictures, etc with friends.  I also prefer that my friends' Facebook games and applications not have access to my information.  While these settings will help limit the exposure of your posts, it's always best to assume that anything you post to Facebook could be shared with the world.

With that in mind I recommend these privacy settings.  To update a setting click edit to the right and then choose the option you want from the drop down or by checking the box as detailed.

1. Go to Privacy settings by clicking the cog in the top right corner of your screen and select "Privacy Settings"
   1. Who can see your future Posts  - Friends  Note:  This option will always revert to your last setting, so if you decide to make a post Public, ensure that you revert back to "Friends" on your next post.
   2. Limit Old Posts - This changes all past posts to being shared with friends only.  I recommend that you select this option unless you have older posts that you want shared with others beyond immediate your friends.
   3. Who can look you up using the email address or phone number you provided - Everyone.  If someone has my email address, I am comfortable with them sending me a friend request.  Since I keep my information relatively private I am not worried about them seeing my account.
   4. Do you want other search engines to link to your  timeline - Uncheck box.  This controls if someone can look up your timeline on a search engine like Google.
2. Select Timeline and Tagging:
   1. Who can post on your timeline:    Friends
   2. Review posts friends tag you in before they appear on your timeline:    Off. Since tags are only shared with friends, I am not concerned with monitoring them.  However, you may want to set this to On, especially for a child's Facebook.
   3. Who can see posts you've been tagged in on your timeline:    Friends
   4. Who can see what others post on your timeline:    Friends
   5. Review tags people add to your own posts before the tags appear on facebook:  Off  Because of the other privacy settings I am not concerned about people tagging me on my posts.  However, you may with to set this to On, especially for a child's facebook page.
   6. When you're tagged in a post, who do you want to add to the audience if they aren't already in it:  Only Me
   7. Who sees tag suggestions when photos that look like you are uploaded:  No One
3. Select Apps in the left column
   1. Verify that Apps you use only contains apps that you actively use.  I strongly recommend limiting the apps you use for security and privacy purposes.
   2. Edit Apps others use. I only allow apps others use to access my Birthday, My Website and If I'm online. While I trust my friends' judgement, I don't trust the judgement of my friends' apps, especially with regards to my personal information and how it used.
   3. Instant Personalization - Off
   4. Old versions of Facebook for mobile - Friends
4. Select Ads in the left column
   1. Third Party Sites - No One
   2. Ads and Friends - No One
5. Select Facebook in top left corner and then select Edit Profile under your name.
   1. Select edit next to each section, then hover over the icon to determine with whom that information is shared.  Edit as desired.
   2. To make it easier for people to find me, I share my College, Current City and website publicly.  All other information is only shared with friends.

These settings will provide you with a relatively locked down Facebook implementation.  Please remember that no matter how 'locked down' your settings are, it's best to assume that anything you post may well be viewed by anyone and everyone.  Also, if you have a child on facebook (or are looking for a job), it may be best to have all tags reviewed before posting.  Not only can tags be used for bullying and ridicule, but a tag of an individual in a compromising situation could have significant long-term impact.