FACEBOOK
SPECIAL GUIDE - 6 tips to keep Facebook secure and private
Got
hundreds of Facebook friends? Make sure they only see what you want them to
Now is a
good time to do some digital cleanup, while the year is still fresh. Review
your secu rity and privacy set tings, and make sure casual acquaintances you
met once aren't still getting the most intimate details of your life. Get rid
of games and apps that might have latched onto your account years ago, but that
you no longer use.
Here are
six cleanup tips:
SECURE
YOUR ACCOUNT
You've
doubtless heard you should have a strong password.It's especially important for
email and social-networking accounts because so much of your digital life
revolves around them. Plus, many other services let you log on using your
Facebook account, so if that gets compromised, so will your other accounts.
Because
pass words are tough to manage, it's best not to rely solely on them.Turn on
what Facebook calls Login Approvals. It's in the account settings under
“Security.“
After you
do so, you're asked for confirmation a special number sent to your phone
when signing on from a new device.
Unless
you switch devices often, this is something you set up once and forget about.
Facebook
offers a series of quick privacy “shortcuts.“ On desktops and laptops, look for
the small padlock on the upper right corner.On Apple and Android devices,
access shortcuts through the menu the three horizontal bars.
The key
shortcut is “Who can see my stuff ?“ See whether you've been inadvertently
broadcast ing your musings to all of Fa cebook. You'll probably want to at
least limit shar ing to “Friends“ rather than “Public,“ though you can
customise that further to exclude certain individu als or groups such as co
workers, or grandparents. When sharing, less is more.
While
you're at it, check “Timeline and Tagging“ in your account settings. You can
insist on approving posts that people tag you in. Note that this is limited to
what appears on your personal timeline; if Mary tags you in a post, Mary's
friends will still see it regardless of your settings.
If you're
on a desktop or laptop, Facebook has a Privacy Checkup tool to review your
settings. Look for that padlock. This tool is coming soon to mobile.
UNFRIEND
AWAY
Purge
friends you're no longer in touch with. If you think “unfriending“ is too mean,
add them to an “Acquaintances“ or “Restricted“ list. “Acquaintances“ means they
won't show up in your news feed often, though they'll still have full access to
any posts you distribute to your friends. “Restricted“ means they'll only see
posts you mark as public.Either is effectively a way to unfriend someone
without dropping any clues you've done so.
You can
also create custom lists, such as “college friends“ or “family.“ This is great
for oversharing with those who'll appreciate it, while not annoying everyone
else and putting yourself in danger of becoming an “acquaintance“ yourself. You
can create lists on a traditional PC by hitting “More“ next to “Friends“ to the
left of your feed. Individuals can be in multiple groups. Capabilities are
limited on mobile, although changes you make on the PC will appear on your
phone or tablet.
WATCH
THOSE APPS
Perhaps
someone invited you to play a game a few years ago. You tried it and moved on,
yet the app is still getting access to your data.Or perhaps you've used Facebook
to log onto a service you no longer use.
The
Privacy Checkup tool on PCs will review apps for you automatically. On mobile
devices, look for “Apps“ in the account settings (not “Apps“ in the main menu).
A related option is the
Security Checkup tool. It's an easy way to log out of Facebook on devices you
rarely use. You can also enable alerts when someone tries to sign on from a new
device or browser. To run this, go to http: facebook.comsecuritycheckup on a
PC. On the Android app, search for “security checkup“ in the Help Centre. On
iOS, you'll have to find the options individually in the account settings under
“Security.“
You can
exert some influence over whose posts you see more or less often by going to
“News Feeds Preferences.“ The setting is on the top right on browsers and
Android apps and on the lower right on iPhones. Here, you can select friends
who'll always show up on top, or hide someone's posts completely.
If you're
worried about data usage, you can stop videos from playing automatically. On
Android, go to “Autoplay“ in the “App Settings.“ On iPhone, it's in the account
settings under “Videos and Photos.“
PLAN
AHEAD
Two
settings might eliminate grief later in life ... or death. In the security
settings, you can designate certain friends as trusted contacts. They'll have
power to help you if you get locked out of your account. You can also designate
a “Legacy Contact“ a family member or close friend who'd serve as your
administrator should you, um, make your last status update (as in, ever). They
won't be able to post on your behalf or see your messages, but they'll be able
to respond to new friend requests and take a few additional actions on your
deceased behalf.
MM22FEB16
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