[xmca] facebook security settings

[Steve Gabosch <stevegabosch@me.com>]

The NY Times article below explains details on how to set one's  
privacy settings on Facebook.  There are many unexpected directions  
from which the information, posts, etc. on your Facebook page can get  
accessed.  I used this article to go over my settings tonight and I  
was surprised at just how unknowingly "social" one can be when they  
are on these social networks.  If you are somewhat naive like me and  
could use some savvy advice on privacy and security settings, you  
might find this article helpful.

- Steve

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http://www.nytimes.com/external/readwriteweb/2009/09/16/16readwriteweb-5-easy-steps-to-stay-safe-and-private-on-fac-6393.html?em=&pagewanted=print





September 16, 2009
5 Easy Steps to Stay Safe (and Private!) on Facebook

By SARAH PEREZ of ReadWriteWeb
When the President of the United States warns schoolchildren to watch  
what they say and do on Facebook, you know that we've got a  
problem...and it's not one limited to the U.S.'s borders, either.  
People everywhere are mindlessly over-sharing on the world's largest  
social network, without a second thought as to who's reading their  
posts or what effect it could have on them further down the road. For  
example, did you know that 30% of today's employers are using Facebook  
to vet potential employees prior to hiring? In today's tough economy,  
the question of whether to post those embarrassing party pics could  
now cost you a paycheck in addition to a reputation. (Keep that in  
mind when tagging your friends' photos, too, won't you?)

But what can be done? It's not like you can just quit Facebook, right?  
No - and you don't have to either. You just need to take a few  
precautions.

Unbeknownst to most mainstream Facebook users, the social network  
actually offers a slew of privacy controls and security features which  
can help you batten down the hatches, so to speak. If used properly,  
you'll never have to worry about whether you should friend the boss  
and your mom. You can friend anyone you want while comfortable in the  
knowledge that not everyone gets to see everything you post.

The problem in implementing these privacy options is that they're just  
too confusing for most non-tech savvy people to handle. And often,  
folks don't want to bother to take the time to learn. To simplify the  
process, we're offering five easy steps you can take today to help  
make your Facebook experience safer, more secure, and more private.

Step 1: Make Friend Lists

Yes, it will take some time, especially if you're connected to a  
couple hundred friends already. But this step, while not the quickest,  
is fairly simple. And it will be one of the most useful things you can  
do on Facebook.

Friend lists, like they sound, are lists for categorizing your friends  
into various groups. The nice thing about this feature is that once  
you set these lists up, you won't have to do it again. We suggest that  
you put your work colleagues and professional acquaintances into a  
friend list designated "work," personal friends you're not very close  
with into a list called "Acquaintances," and people you're related to  
into a list called "Family." Those three main categories will separate  
out the groups of "friends" who you may want to hide some information  
from.

To create a friend list, click on "Friends" at the top of the Facebook  
homepage. In the left-hand column, click "Friends" again under the  
"Lists" section. Now you'll see a button at the top that says "Create  
New List". Click it. In the pop-up that appears, you can name your  
list and pick members. If you've ever shared an application with your  
friends, the process of doing this will be very familiar.

When you've finished making lists, you'll be able to use them when  
selecting who can see what (or who can't!) when configuring the  
security settings described below.

Step 2: Who Can See What on Your Profile

At the top right of Facebook, there's a menu that many people probably  
ignore: "Settings." But this menu is now going to become your best  
friend. To get started, hover you mouse over the Settings menu and  
click "Privacy Settings" from the list that appears. On the next page,  
click "Profile." This takes you to a page where you can configure who  
gets to see certain information on your profile.

Before making changes, think carefully about the sorts of things you  
want public and the things you want private. Should "everyone" get to  
see photos you're tagged in? Or would you like to limit this only to  
those you've specifically chosen as Facebook friends?

Underneath each section on this page (basic info, personal info,  
status, etc.), you can designate who gets to see that particular bit  
of information. For anyone not using custom lists (see step 1), the  
best thing to enter here is "Only Friends." Anything else opens up  
your profile information to people you may or may not know. For  
example, choosing "Everyone" makes that info public, "Friends of  
Friends" lets your friends' friends see it, "My Networks and Friends"  
opens up your info to anyone in your networks - that means anyone in  
your city, your high school, your college, a professional organization  
you listed, etc.

You can also block certain groups from seeing these sections, too. On  
any item that offers an "Edit Custom Settings" option, you can click  
that link to display a pop-up box where you can choose people or lists  
to block (see where it says "Except these people"). If you haven't  
made custom lists as explained in step 1 above, you can enter  
individual names here instead.(Sorry, mom, dad, boss - this is where  
you get blocked.)

Step 3: Who Can See Your Address and Phone Number

Did you list your address and phone number on Facebook? While that's a  
handy feature, you may not want everyone you friended to have this  
information. To access this configuration page, you follow the same  
steps as above in step 2 to display the Profile Privacy page. You'll  
notice that the page has two tabs at the top - click on the one that  
reads "Contact information."

As previously described above, you can again use the drop-down lists  
provided to designate who gets to see what and/or block certain people  
or lists from viewing this information. The sections on this page  
include "IM Screen Name," "Mobile Phone," "Other Phone," "Current  
Address," "Website," and your email.

Step 4: Change Who Can Find You on Facebook via Search

Sick of getting friend requests from old high school pals? While for  
some the beauty of Facebook is that it lets you reconnect with  
everyone you ever knew throughout your life, others find this  
intrusive and annoying. You're not friends with any of these people  
anymore for a reason, right?

As it turns out, you can still enjoy Facebook without some folks ever  
knowing or finding you thanks to the search privacy settings.

Click on the "Settings" menu on Facebook's homepage and then click  
"Search" on the following page. You'll be taken to a Search Privacy  
page where you can specify who gets to find you on Facebook. Want to  
be wide open? Change the "Search Visibility" drop-down box to  
"Everyone." Want to keep it a little more limited? Select "My Networks  
and Friends," "Friends of Friends," or "My Networks and Friends of  
Friends" instead. Don't wantanyone finding you on Facebook? Change it  
to "Only Friends." That means only the people who you've already  
friended can find you in a Facebook search.

On this page, you can also configure what information displays when  
your info is returned as a search result (e.g. your profile picture,  
your friend list, etc.). In addition, you can check and uncheck the  
boxes for network-based searches too. For example, if you don't want  
anyone from high school to find you, uncheck the box next to "people  
in high school networks."

Step 5: Stop Sharing Personal Info with Unknown Applications

Remember when we told you about what Facebook quizzes know about you?  
Using Facebook's default settings, you're unknowingly sharing a  
plethora of personal information (and your friends' info too!) with  
various Facebook applications and the developers who created them. The  
problem is so bad that the ACLU recently created their own Facebook  
Quiz to demonstrate how much information an app has access to.

It's time to take back control! From the Facebook homepage, hover your  
mouse over the "Settings" menu and choose "Privacy Settings" from the  
drop-down list. On the next page, click "Applications" then click the  
tab that reads "Settings" which is next to the "Overview" tab. (Oh,  
and if you want to really be freaked out, read that overview!)

On this page, you can check and uncheck boxes next to your personal  
information (picture, education history, wall, religious views, etc.).  
This controls what applications your friends are using can see about  
you. Yes, your friends' apps can see your personal info if you don't  
make this change! Believe it or not, you don't have the same control  
over your own apps. The best you can do is head over to the  
Applications page and delete the apps you're not using anymore. (Use  
the "X" to remove them.) You see, once you authorize an application,  
you're telling it that it's OK to access any information associated  
with your account that it requires to work. While some developers may  
only pull what's actually required, many others just pull in  
everything they can. Scary, isn't it?

Conclusion

While this is by no means a comprehensive guide to Facebook security  
and privacy, these five steps can help you get started in creating a  
safer, more secure, and more private environment on the social network.

However, if you choose not to take any precautions, then you'll only  
have yourself to blame when an errant wall post or naughty photo makes  
its way online and straight into Grandma's News Feed, or worse, your  
boss's. These days, it's better be safe than sorry, so go ahead and  
delve into those settings!

Copyright 2009 ReadWriteWeb. All Rights Reserved.


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