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Fix Your Troubling (and Possibly Public) Facebook Privacy Settings

by Warren Riddle on December 15, 2009 at 06:21 PM

Facebook members have developed an infamous yet well-deserved reputation for their rants and temper-tantrums whenever the site implements changes. But, when Facebook announced a plan to empower users with more control over their private information, many members welcomed the opportunity to selectively limit the public availability of their profile photos, updates, and other social networking miscellanea.

The changes went live last week, and as folks are growing more familiar with the new settings, a dark and troubling trend seems to be materializing. Facebook claimed that its modifications would give "you more control over your information," which is true, except for some notable and significant deviations. Under the new plan, members can no longer hide their friend lists or fan pages. That information has now been irrevocably deemed "publicly available." This presents certain problems, as a potential employer, for instance, could identify your profile and see that you've become a fan of Jager Bombs and a member of the Michael Phelps Bong Brigade.

Under the new format, Facebook also automatically and surreptitiously reconfigured members' settings primarily to a default, open-to-everyone option. Going back and readjusting those settings is an absolute necessity if you wish to keep certain things out of the public eye. If you're unsure of how, and to help prevent Bong Brigade disasters, hopefully our (somewhat) brief guide can help.

Profile Information Sharing
From your profile page, hold the cursor over 'Settings' at the top-right of the screen and then select 'Privacy.' Once you're on the privacy settings page, choose 'Profile Information,' and, if you so desire, change everything to 'Only Friends.' While you're in 'Profile Information,' also make absolutely sure you edit your 'Photo Albums' so that private pics remain private. The next settings option is for 'Contact Information,' so go ahead and make the same wholesale 'Friends Only' changes there, as well.

App and Web Site Settings
One of the most discussed Facebook privacy issues pertains to apps and games, and how they can pull your profile information and make it publicly available. If you want to prevent information from being harvested by apps and advertisers, select 'Applications and Websites' and then 'Edit Settings' for 'What your friends can share about you.' You can deselect everything.
Profile Search Visibility
The most disturbing allegations against Facebook's privacy de-evolution primarily center around the site's movement toward exposing member information in order to attract more page views and revenue. To prevent your info from turning up on search engines, select 'Search,' modify the 'Facebook Search Results,' and then deselect the 'Allow' box for 'Public Search Results.'

That may all seem like a hassle for a supposedly fun site, but it's undoubtedly necessary if you don't want to share your life with the rest of the world but still want to surf freely. And, the portions of information that can't be protected are much more troubling than having to alter a few options. While Facebook may have attracted more than 350 million users, these recent changes, which basically sell out members for the bottom dollar, may inspire many to close up shop and look elsewhere for their networking needs. [From: Valleywag and EFF]
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Tags: Facebook, facebook changes, facebook privacy, facebook update, FacebookChanges, FacebookPrivacy, FacebookUpdate, security, top

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