Take these solid steps as soon as possible to get a handle on your personal data on Facebook. What we know is that only you care enough and have the power to reign in social media platforms from unleashing your life to data harvesters out to manipulate how you live.
Don’t believe what Facebook’s own terms of service fine print once said, “you own all of the content and information you post on Facebook, and you can control how it is shared.” That is completely false and utter B.S.
New Facebook security concerns.
Now that a big bright light is shining on how Facebook has mishandled the personal data of it’s 2.2 billion people including you and me, there are some important tweaks to make with your Facebook settings to reduce the amount of access creepy data harvesters have on you. Facebook should not know you better than you know yourself.
Podcast: Listen to my entire podcast to find out how Facebook knows more about you than you know yourself
Facebook is sharing much more than you think.
Facebook has treated you and me as commodities, instead of human beings, and is failing to protect us. Now it is time we take important steps that are in your personal interest and privacy. And what was learned recently includes vulnerabilities from seemingly harmless activity is in fact very harmful and in some case dangerous.
Never look at an online quiz the same again.
On the radar of Facebook concerns now expand to Apps, Automatic Facebook log-ins, Games and quizzes showing up in your feed. When you engage in the quiz, it seems like an entertaining personality test for example, but instead is a surreptitious mission to find out how you tick so that you can be influenced more easily. This must all be stopped now and these settings are the first step to control the level of access your Facebook account is providing.
How to limit the amount of your personal data being shared by Facebook.
Apps and Games. Did you know when you engage with a Facebook app within your stream that you are giving it permission to access your personal profile? When I checked my own profile, there were 74 apps listed and most I had unknowingly given full access to my personal data creating an open door into my friends. You need to check the list and consider which Apps on Facebook if any should have permission to access your personal data and get rid of the ones you don’t know, want or trust.
STEP 1/ HOW TO REMOVE APPS ON FACEBOOK
mobile
- Open Facebook. Settings > Account Settings > Apps > Logged in with Facebook
desktop
- Open Facebook.
- Click ∨ (arrow) in top right > Settings > Apps > click X to remove app after hovering over app name.
See what apps are giving access to your personal data and click Remove App at the bottom if you do not want it. Facebook does not make this very easy on the mobile FB app and instead sometimes trying to get you to answer why you want to remove app. You can back up and hit Remove App again sometimes without needing to answer.
STEP 2/ SET ALERTS AND BOOST EXTRA SECURITY
mobile
- Open Facebook. > Settings > Account Settings > Security and Login > under Setting Up Extra Security section, tap Get alerts about unrecognized logins.
desktop
- Open Facebook. Click ∨ (arrow) in top right > Settings > Security and Login > on the left scroll down to Setting Up Extra Security.
STEP 3/ DISABLE FACEBOOK INTEGRATION WITH OUTSIDE APPS
Sure its convenient, but do you know which outside sites and apps that you use to login with Facebook also have access to your personal data? Are you aware that you consent to those sites being able to access your profile when you turn this feature on? When you turn this setting off, you will not be able to logon to other sites using Facebook.
mobile
- Open Facebook. > Settings > Account Settings > Apps > Platform > tap Edit in the App and Websites section > Turn Off Platform
desktop
- Open Facebook. Click ∨ (arrow) in top right > Settings > Apps > Apps Websites and Plugins, then you can select Edit and Disable Platform
STEP 4/ LIMIT ACCESS BY APPS OTHERS USE
Did you know that by default when someone like a friend can see details on your profile, that they can also carry your personal data to other apps they use? Check personal data listed to see what you are sharing. Uncheck items that you don’t want taken to strangers and other apps being used.
mobile
- Open Facebook. > Settings > Account Settings > Apps > Apps others use and uncheck items you don’t want to share
desktop
- Open Facebook. Click ∨ (arrow) in top right> Settings > Apps > on the bottom left section click Edit within Apps Others Use then uncheck items you don’t want shared
STEP 5/ LOCATION PRIVACY
I don’t need Facebook knowing and sharing my location to anyone else unless I actively choose to share it. Take another look at your privacy settings to see if they jive with your level of comfort in what is being captured, tracked, recorded and shared by Facebook. On the mobile app, you may want to stop your location from being broadcast, recorded and shared. Location History if left on creates a breadcrumb trail where others will know your patterns, who you are with and what you may have done at that location.
- Open Facebook. > Settings > Account Settings > Location
I set mine to Never and also at bottom of screen disable Location History.
STEP 6/ INFORM FRIENDS
Your friends security settings can impact how your information is shared to data harvesting hackers. Your otherwise closed or limited Facebook profile settings can be accessed by data harvesters when a friend inadvertently gives others access. Data harvesters call a “seeder” someone who leads them in to your personal data just by being friends on Facebook. You are vulnerable to every one of your friends’ interactions.
Share this page so that others can also close the gaping holes letting personal data into the hands of strangers and data harvesting creeps.
More to know about taking back your privacy here
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