How to keep your Facebook info private and safe without deleting your account
YOU don't have to leave Facebook to keep your data safe.
In the wake of the company's latest privacy scandal, a lot of people are feeling it's time to simply delete the app.
To summarise, a company called Cambridge Analytica made away with the public profile information of 50 million Facebook users, which it then used to influence the Brexit campaign and the 2016 US presidential election.
Facebook could be about to get a severe slapdown for not ensuring the data had been deleted, but what does it mean for you?
Right now, there's no way to know if your data was obtained. But if you're worried that you may have been affected, there are steps you can take to lock down your account.
Just follow this simple guide to turn your Facebook profile into an impenetrable fortress.
Choose who can see your posts
You can control who can view the status updates, photos, and videos you post to your timeline.
This can be done before and after the post is published.
Just select the menu icon (the three dots) at the bottom of the Compose Post box.
This will highlight the post as a pop-up.
Then you'll see a button in the same location at the bottom, next to the Post button.
Select it and a drop-down menu will appear, that will allow you to share the post with whoever you choose or keep it private.
The options range from "public", meaning everyone on and off Facebook will be able to see it, to "only me", which makes it off-limits to everyone except you.
You can also customise it too so that only select friends can see it.
Facebook Data Policy – what do they know?
Facebook admits collecting the following data...
- Things you do when you use Facebook
- The information you provide to Facebook
- The information other people submit about you, including info, photos, and messages sent to you
- Your networks and connections
- Information about payments made through Facebook
- Device information about the gadgets you use to access Facebook
- Location information, uncovered through your device
- Information from websites and apps that use Facebook services
- Information from third-party partners, like advertisers
- Information from Facebook-owned companies, like WhatsApp and Instagram
Hide or delete your posts
Want to erase a previous status update? It's a cinch.
Go to your timeline and select the post.
Open the menu in the upper right hand corner of the post and select Delete.
Poof, it's gone.
Or, if you just want it to go dark, select Hide from Timeline.
Now, it's invisible.
This lets you keep the post, while stopping others from seeing it.
But, it also means that the post may still show up in search results and other places on Facebook.
A quick way to access a record of all the things you've ever shared on Facebook is to select Activity Log in the menu directly below your cover photo.
See how your profile looks to other people
Want to see what other Facebook users see when they look at your profile?
Just head over to your own profile and select the menu icon at the bottom right of your cover photo.
Then select View As.
This will show you how your Facebook profile looks to the public – as in, everyone on and off Facebook.
Here you'll also get the option to "view as specific person".
Select it, and you'll be able to enter the name of a Facebook friend to see what they see.
You can also tweak who can see things on the Timeline section of your profile.
Select the downwards arrow in the blue strip at the top of Facebook and select Settings.
Next, hit .
Here you can choose to block people from posting on your timeline, and from seeing what others post to your timeline.
You can also stop people from seeing the posts you're tagged in, and choose to review tags before a post is published.
Hide your friends list
Who can view your friends list is up to you.
Open the Friends tab, and select the menu at the upper right corner.
Select Edit privacy.
Here you can hide your friends list from your profile by selecting Only Me.
Stop Facebook from recognising you in photos and videos
Facebook has a creepy photo-scanning tech that detects faces in images and videos, which it uses to suggest names of people to tag.
To block it from pointing you out in a pic someone else uploads, hit the three dot icon underneath your cover photo on mobile.
Select Privacy Shortcuts.
Then select More Settings.
Tap "Who sees tag suggestions when photos that look like you are uploaded?"
Select No One if you don't want anyone to get tag suggestions when pics and videos you're in are uploaded.
Note that in some cases this feature may be unavailable to you.
Confused by the Facebook breach? Check out our helpful guides...
- Facebook data scandal EXPLAINED
- What is Cambridge Analytica?
- Where is Mark Zuckerberg?
- How to see ALL your Facebook data
- How to delete your Facebook account
- Why it's time to delete Facebook
- How to stop Facebook apps handing over your data
Appearing in search engine results
Search engines can link to your Facebook profile in their results.
But there is a way to stop this.
Click the downwards arrow at the top right of any Facebook page and choose Settings.
Click from the left column.
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Then select Edit under "Do you want search engines outside of Facebook to link to your Profile?"
Now untick "Allow search engines outside of Facebook to link to your Profile".
The Privacy tab also lets you stop others from looking you up using the phone number or email address you provided to Facebook.
Do you have any tips about keeping your Facebook profile locked down? Or does Facebook privacy not bother you? Let us know in the comments.
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