Social media are websites and applications that enable users to create posts, share content, and even participate in social networking. It facilitates the sharing of content quickly, effectively, and in-real time. One of the most well-known social media platforms that we have is Facebook. Facebook builds technologies that give people the power to connect with friends and family, find communities, and grow businesses. Everything easily being done with a single click. With this kind of convenience, the risk of security grows. And with the risk of security, comes with it the threat to privacy.
Hence, when it comes to creating and having an account on social media, specifically on Facebook, keep these privacy tips in mind:
- Delete important personal data
The “About” section indicated in your profile includes the subsections: Overview, Work and Education, Places Lived, Contact and Basic Info, Family and Relationships, Details About You, and Life Events. Each of which has a certain applicable setting per information indicating if you would like it to be set to: Public, Friends, or Only Me. Only put into “Public” the information that you know would not prejudice you in anyway.
- Unable the Facial Recognition setting
This setting allows Facebook to recognize whether you’re in a photo or video. When your facial recognition setting is turned on, Facebook creates a template of your face and uses it to compare it to other photos, videos, and other places where the camera is used, such as live videos, to recognize if you appear in that content. Despite the claim of Facebook of not sharing such template with anyone else, it would be safer if no such template would exist in the first place. You may do this by selecting the “Control Facial Recognition” under your “Privacy Shortcuts” setting, then selecting, “No.”
- Limit third-party applications connected to Facebook
Facebook shares your personal information with applications and websites that you enable to be connected with Facebook. These apps and websites can receive personal information you choose to share with them. Expired and removed apps may still have access to information that was previously shared with them. In order to prevent this, make sure that whatever app or website you connect to with Facebook is either a trustable site, or you may simply Turn Off or Remove such apps or websites connected with your account by clicking on “Apps and Websites” under your “Settings” option.
- Control who sees your posts and stories
Aside from limiting what people can see in your “About” section, you can also decide on who you want to see your posts and stories. Under the “Posts and Stories” under “Your Activity” section, you may choose who you’d like to see your future posts and also change who can see past posts that were Public or Friends of friends to only Friends. Anyone tagged in these posts and their friends may still see them. The setting of your Stories may likewise be customized here.
- Regularly Conduct a Privacy Checkup
One of the updated features on Facebook is their “Privacy Checkup” under the Setting and Privacy option. Under the Privacy Checkup, it lays down several options including: Who can see what you share, How to keep your account secure, How people can find you on Facebook, and Your data settings on Facebook. More privacy settings can further be seen under the “Settings” option which essentially individually breaks down every option available to your account.
No matter how easily-accessible and efficiency social media brings us information, we must not be easily swayed and sacrifice privacy for convenience. Indeed, processes that make business more secure are also generally less convenient and would most likely take extra steps to apply. But again, the world’s most valuable resource is no longer oil, but data. Always make sure that you leave digital footprints as minimal as possible because securing your account will aid you in the protection of your personal data in case of future fraud and breaches.
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