New Year’s resolutions are among us, though voluntary and often roll over from year to year. This time around, though, take one New Year’s resolution as a wild card, and lock down your Facebook profile like your own personal Fort Knox, and get it out of the way for the year ahead.
The bad news is that damage could well have already been done, as some features are hidden away and are difficult to find. But, don’t panic. You will be surprised how much you can recover in the space of five or ten minutes of clicking on a few buttons.
For my 700th post for ZDNet, here are four guides, each focusing on an intrinsic part of Facebook’s privacy and security features, allowing you to work your way through with step by step help in each area.
Gallery guide 1: Secure your profile page
This guide will walk you through the settings and features of your profile page - the main page where your friends can post on your wall, and allow you to learn how to limit certain features while protecting your privacy from outside your friends list.
Gallery guide 2: Secure your account settings
This guide will document how to secure your account - including your password, your networks, your Facebook credits (the site’s cashless currency), and explain how you can prevent unauthorised access.
Gallery guide 3: Secure your privacy settings
This guide will walk you through each and every setting of your content, allowing you to confidently change and modify each setting accordingly to allow exactly who you want to access certain content, while preventing others. Also, it will enable you to prevent certain privacy infringing ‘features’ on your account like Places.
Gallery guide 4: Secure the miscellaneous bits
This guide will explain certain features which can indirectly disclose your location (Places), hide certain friends from particular activities (lists) and prevent you from compromising your account with worm-spreading application links (links).
If you want a particular area looked into which isn’t covered, send a message using the Contact form on the left, or leave a comment below.
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Zack Whittaker is a British student studying an undergraduate degree in BA (Hons) Criminology and Social Policy at the University of Kent, Canterbury.
Disclosure
Zack Whittaker
I interned briefly at Microsoft UK Ltd. in 2006 but have since cut my ties. Regardless, I remain impartial and unbiased in my views.
I don't hold any stock or shares, investments or industrial secrets in any company, but have signed confidentiality agreements with a number of UK and US organisations, whose names I am not at liberty to disclose.
I was involved with Kent Union, the University of Kent's student union, undertaking voluntary, non-salaried, elected positions between early 2009 and mid-2010. Since then, I remain as an automatic student member of the organisation as a result of my studies at the university.
No other company, body, government department, non-governmental organisation or third sector organisation employs me or pays me a salary in any capacity whatsoever.
As a freelance journalist, whenever expenses are given and taken by a company which is not CBS Interactive, these will be disclosed in each relevant post to ensure transparency.
(Updated: 13th February 2011)
Biography
Zack Whittaker
Zack Whittaker is a British student at the University of Kent in Canterbury, UK working towards a BA (Hons) Criminology and Social Policy.
In between studying, drinking, and occasionally sleeping, he has already had a series unconventional work and voluntary positions. He has worked with researchers studying neurological illnesses like Tourette's syndrome (which he suffers from), has given lectures on the nature of disabilities in the public community, and occasionally ends up speaking on television and radio discussing the events of the day.
Despite his young age, he may appear inexperienced and misguided, but don't be fooled. At the grand age of 22, he has already totalled up many years of work, education, knowledge and general (mis)adventure.
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Talkback Most Recent of 64 Talkback(s)
Why bother?
Just avoid Facebook. Much easier and less stressful, particularly when Facebook changes something without prior notice and your information is no longer secure.bmeacham98@...01/03/2011 06:44 AM
ZDNet Blogger
RE: January 2011: The Definitive Facebook Lockdown Guide
@bmeacham98@... Or not, as an idea. This guide allows you to lock down Facebook so you can enjoy the experience without worrying too much about privacy or security.zwhittaker01/03/2011 07:26 AMRE: January 2011: The Definitive Facebook Lockdown Guide
@zwhittaker
What I take from your comment is follow the guide, I no longer need to worry about privacy or security on Facebook every again. Did I misquote your?daikon01/03/2011 09:08 AMZDNet Blogger
RE: January 2011: The Definitive Facebook Lockdown Guide
@daikon This guide isn't the be all and end all. You should still be careful with what you put out there and what you do on the site, because it's very much just as things are in the real world. Just because you have the flu jab doesn't mean you should allow people to sneeze in your face - to use a crappy analogy. The guide is to help, not as a firewall for people's naivety or ignorance.zwhittaker01/03/2011 09:27 AMRE: January 2011: The Definitive Facebook Lockdown Guide
@zwhittaker ... I think your guide is a great idea, and I'm glad you presented it. But ... it's akin to writing a guide for safe use for a dangerous weapon or substance or interaction with a dangerous animal. It's STILL DANGEROUS. Perhaps you can sub-title this piece "How to swim more safely with sharks." They're still sharks, but if you MUST play, then at least play a bit more safely. But, for those of us who wish to reduce our risk 100% ... just stay out of the water.Trep Ford(Edited: 01/03/2011 10:46 AM)RE: January 2011: The Definitive Facebook Lockdown Guide
@Trep FordLike it or not Facebook is a reality with 500 million users just as sharks are a reality. So if i were to swim with them it will be good to know the do's and don'ts.
So yes this article is quite welcome for the 500 millions people who are swimming with the sharks
DontBeEvil01/04/2011 12:06 PMRE: January 2011: The Definitive Facebook Lockdown Guide
@Trep Ford There are 500 million REGISTERED users, not 500 million ACTIVE users. There is a difference. The extreme majority of FB users dont even realise that you can delete your profile. Those that leave simply deactivate it [thus still "registered"] The Delete option by the way is in the help section ..http://www.facebook.com/help/?faq=13016&tq#!/help/?page=842.I deleted mine for one basic reason - Privacy. I used to clear all my comments, pictures etc every few months. Yet last weekend Facebook decided to show me my comments from 2 years ago [not to mention deleted "friends" reappearing on my friends' list 18 months later].
Regardless of how much you "lock down" your FB, it isnt hard for non-friends to view your content.
jebact01/21/2011 01:21 PMRE: January 2011: The Definitive Facebook Lockdown Guide
@bmeacham98@... Like anything else in life, you need to weigh the benefits against the risks. For most folks, the benefits outweigh the risks, but if you are not very tech savvy or if you find no benefit to participating, then yes, by all means avoid it.ejhonda01/03/2011 12:27 PMA simpler plan
Skip facebook.
They change their policies continually with little warning AND change the policies to acquire more of your information. If privacy is important to you, this is a web site to avoid.dfolk201/03/2011 08:30 AM
RE: January 2011: The Definitive Facebook Lockdown Guide
@dfolk2 ... EXACTLY !!justin.donie@...01/03/2011 10:30 AMRE: January 2011: The Definitive Facebook Lockdown Guide
@dfolk2 A simple better plan:
What goes in goes out...
same as what doesn't goes in can't get out...
Well... just put the minimum in and enjoy your life as the social animal every human being was designed forferdi6401/03/2011 01:57 PMRE: January 2011: The Definitive Facebook Lockdown Guide
@zwhittaker ... My post was reported as spam. the instant I submitted. All it has is 3 short sentences with my opinion. Can anybody review it and repost it?ferdi6401/03/2011 02:03 PMRE: January 2011: The Definitive Facebook Lockdown Guide
@ferdi64 Amen Brother!Master Skywalker02/06/2011 08:44 PMRE: January 2011: The Definitive Facebook Lockdown Guide
The simplicity of the responses to "skip Facebook" sounds like something from folks who don't have nieces and nephews whose activities are of interest as I do. I love to see what my own 78 year old aunt is quilting, too. The interface is simple enough that all three generations can easily use it. So what are they going to find out? Where I live? Easily accessible in any of a number of places on the Internet. That I like to play Scrabble? I know *I* am not the center of the universe and who really cares about what I do except advertisers?katelymt01/03/2011 08:58 AM
RE: January 2011: The Definitive Facebook Lockdown Guide
You have missed the point the "skip Facebook" advocates are making. Many of the leaks occurred not because of carelessness on the part of users, but unannounced policy changes and feature "enhancements" by Facebook. When a company has such a cavalier attitude regarding your privacy, you have to think twice about using their services...
anonymousNSFETiger01/03/2011 09:12 AM
Thursday 3 March 2011
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