5 easy ways to make your Facebook account more private
Facebook came under fire this week after it came out that they had carried out a psychological experiment on nearly 700,000 people without their knowledge. The 2012 experiment manipulated content on users' newsfeeds to see whether it would affect their moods.
It's not the first time the social media giant has drawn criticism for their practice of filtering our news feeds but they argue it's ultimately for our benefit - they're trying to make our experiences as interesting as possible.
So while Facebook ultimately does control and own everything on its website - even choosing what we see - we can take back a little semblance of ownership by learning about Facebook's often complex privacy settings.
Our Friends Lists are increasingly full of people you wouldn't say hello to on the street so why would you let them see your all your photos, statuses and personal details? Time for a for a review of your settings, everyone!
Some of the below tips will no doubt be familiar to many of you but it's worth reviewing again as Facebook has a tendency to change things without letting us know. They're sneaky that way.
First things first, go to your profile page. That's the one with your face on it and the cover photo you spent AAAGEES picking out.
Under your cover photo, click the About tab. Here is where most of your personal information will be stored - email addresses, phone numbers, birthday, sexual preferences, that kind of stuff - and it’s worth taking some time to go through each section and check which parts are public, viewable to just your friends or only to you.
It's probably been a while since you set up your account so you might be surprised - we found some of the information we thought was private was actually still viewable to friends and friends of friends and probably friends of friends of friends. You get the idea.
To change, click edit in the top right-hand corner to change the settings of each. You can also customise it to your own lists - close friends etc or pick individual names to limit what they see.
If you have gone on one too many profile page stalks of an ex or your neighbour's new boyfriend or some random stranger that you've never met, this might be of interest to you. Facebook has tracked and logged search you’ve made (Oops!). But never fear, you CAN delete it.
Go to the Activity tab at the corner of your Cover Photo. Click it and then select the search icon on the left hand side under photos, Likes etc. There you will see your search history in all its horrible glory. It can be deleted by selecting 'Clear Searches' in the top right - and voila! It’s gone.
Facebook photos are DEFINITELY one of the areas you really want to keep tight control over. We presume you know how to do this - who hasn’t had to go on a detagging rampage after a Saturday night?
But if you've never had to remove an embarrassing photo of yourself before - first of all, well done - here's how.
At the bottom of the offending photo, click Options. There, select Report/Remove Tag which gives you the option of simply removing the tag or getting rid of the photo altogether. Simple!
You can also change your privacy settings for your own photo albums but for your mobile, profile and Timeline photos, you’ll have to do it photo by photo. Look out for the privacy icon on the top right of each photo to access the drop-down menu. Cover photos are public - there’s no changing that.
To control who sees your friends list, click on the friends tab on your profile page. click the pencil icon on the top right and hit “Edit Privacy”. There, you will be able to change the privacy settings of who can see your friends lists.
If you're want to get serious about your privacy, go to your account settings by clicking the drop down arrow on the top right of your facebook page and click settings. Then, on the left, click Privacy.
Here you can adjust who sees what - from your Wall Posts to who can send you friend requests.
Underneath the privacy tab is Timeline and Tagging. Here you can edit who can post to your timeline, who can tag you in photos and you can set it up so you have to give approval before a photo of you can be tagged. Handy!
Blocking is handy if you are sick of notifications from certain apps or if you want to remove someone completely from your virtual life. The blocking tab is located on the left under Privacy and Timeline and Tagging.
Underneath that is the Adverts section. This is where you can and control what information Facebook gives to third party advertisers.
You can also change the settings of social adverts. Social adverts show an advertiser's message alongside actions you have taken, such as liking a Page.
If you want to control who sees what you like, click on the More tab under your cover photo and then select Likes. You can then turn which pages you like to public, private etc.
If you want to go even further, here is a video explaining why you should delete your account completely.
While convincing, it's unlikely we're all going to jump ship any time soon. But it is something to think about.
There are so many variables to play around with when it comes to your Facebook settings so it’s worth taking some time and playing around them until you figure out what you’re comfortable with - whether that’s a profile locked down tighter than Alcatraz or you’re free and easy with who can view your profile.
Just remember, no matter what you do, Facebook is always watching.
