How do I protect my Facebook profile? Five things to remove
FACEBOOK is a great way to catch up with friends, but you need to be careful about what you share.
It’s been suggested that information you provide, including your first concert or pet, could give criminals hints about your private details.
Why should your birthday be removed from Facebook?
It might seem like a smart way to get presents from your friends, but sharing your birthday is fraught with issues.
Apart from anything else, it’s often used as a banking security question.
For this reason, it’s best to delete it from your page.
This isn’t the only way that criminals can guess your security questions.
A recent meme saw people asking other Facebook users to guess which concert out of a list of 10 they didn’t go to.
While it seemed like harmless fun, snippets of information like this are often similar to our security question answers.
Should phone numbers be removed?
There really is no need for you to advertise your number online.
If one of your friends really needs it, they could just ask.
If it’s out there for everyone to see, any undesirable person could start contacting you – and use it to try scam you.
What happens if you post about your holidays?
We’re all excited about going away and love to let our friends know about our next trip.
But sharing the details gives local burglars the tip off that your house is going to be empty.
Similarly, sharing snaps of your boarding pass isn’t a great idea as each barcode is unique to the traveller and could be used to get any information the tour operator holds.
What happens if you reveal your location?
If you tag your location, people who may want to wish you ill know exactly where you are.
On top of that, make sure you never tag your home address.
This isn’t the kind of information you want in the public domain.
Is culling your friends on Facebook a good idea?
How many of your Facebook friends do you actually know? Would you want them to see pictures of you or your kids (if you share them)?
Purging people you haven’t spoken to in a while is one way of fine tuning your Facebook privacy.
Oxford psychology professor Robin Dunbar has a theory that people in general can only maintain 150 stable relationships.
So if your Facebook friends are pushing the thousand mark, it could be time for a cull.
Mumsnet users have debated whether or not to share pictures of children online, while it was revealed that Facebook may have “helped advertising companies target teens” who felt “worthless”.