App security
Did you know that even if you think you’re careful of what you view or allow, it’s not only what apps and websites you allow to access your Facebook account, it’s also what your friends allow on theirs that attach to your account and impact what information is shared about you. Malware is a piece of software that is automatically installed on your computer without your knowledge. Apps are a common place for Malware to hide and can be easily added to your computer when you visit sites while logged into your Facebook account. Managing and cleaning up this section of your account requires more vigilance than simply checking a security setting box. When you open this section, you may be surprised at how may apps are actually attached to your Facebook account. To check your profile for a list of Facebook Applications, click on the “Edit Settings” in the Application Settings. When you click on the “Edit Settings” link for one of the applications, you’ll see what the app has access to and you can edit those settings. If you no longer want that app on your Facebook account, click the “X” to delete the app. It will be deleted temporarily but you’ll eventually see it back in your list. The best way to avoid apps attaching Malware to your computer is to log out of Facebook before surfing the Internet. You may not realize it, but the apps your friends use on Facebook can also access information about you, like your photos, hometown and current city. If that’s a concern for you, there are two ways to manage how your information is shared. The first and most extreme is to disable all platform apps to completely prohibit any third party Facebook apps from accessing your account. You can do this by clicking “Turn Off All Apps” in this section. The second option is to deselect the boxes of information that you don’t want shared with the world. You can do this in the “This App Can” section of each app. As seen above, I allowed Pinterest to post on my behalf but I deleted the rest of the default sharing options.
Blocking People
If someone is contacting you or posting negative comments on your wall, you can block them from being able to access your account. Go to that person’s Timeline and hover over the “Friends” tab. You’ll see a drop down menu of options to choose from. You can simply click “Restrict” to block them from accessing your Facebook page or you can “Unfriend” them altogether.
Custom Privacy
In addition to each category setting above, you can customize your Facebook account further so that only specific people can see certain updates and the same can be done if you want to hide updates from certain people. Just change your “Privacy Setting” to “Custom” and the window will open where you can select who will see that information. Making lists of family, coworkers, or whoever you will send bulk email to will make this step much quicker.
Post Security
Facebook is a place where you share all of the big things and small things with your family and friends. Though we should always keep security in mind, it shouldn’t keep you from sharing pictures of your family or a vacation for fear of it being seen by the wrong people. When you write a status update, you can select who sees that update by clicking on the padlock icon next to the “Post” button. Then only those people you select will be able to see the post and comment on it. If you follow all of the security steps in part 1 and part 2 of Putting Your Facebook On Lockdown, you shouldn’t have any trouble with a hacked or compromised account. I will be making some changes to my account and cleaning up some things that don’t need to be there. Will you join me in making Facebook more secure for you and your family?
