How to Have Privacy on Facebook

While we stay in touch with family and friends via Facebook, there are ways to protect your privacy while sharing cute photos of your dog, your holiday and more.

While on a personal computer do the following:

Check Your Privacy
Facebook allows you to easily check your privacy and adjust your account settings if you need too. Just click the question mark in the top right section of the menu bar on your profile page and scroll down to “Privacy Checkup.” You can adjust who sees your Posts (the public, friends on Facebook, friends except {allows you to pick those you want to keep as Facebook friends but don’t want to share every post with}, friends of friends, specific friends, and more), Your Profile and Apps/Websites who you have granted profile access.

Check Your Ad Preferences

Facebook will serve up ads based on what you have clicked within their site and your personal information. Adjust your settings by clicking on the downward-facing triangle at the top right of your profile page, then scroll down to "Settings." Then in the left hand side column, click on “Ads”. Go through each setting removing interests, advertisers you have interacted with, toggling off information you don’t want to share, adjust ad settings, hide topics of interest and others. You can delete topics or companies by hovering over its respective icon and clicking the X.

Restrict Mobile Device’s Location Services
You can do this through your phone or while on Facebook. Click the downward-facing triangle at the top right of your profile page, then scroll down to "Settings” and then click on the “Location” on the left hand column.

Adjust Your 3rd Party App Settings

If you have played Candy Crush, Trivia Crack, Farmville or any other game or quizz through Facebook, you have granted them access to link to your profile. While they may not be writing on your timeline, they do have access to your personal information.

Here’s how to unlink those apps:

1. Click the downward-facing triangle at the top right of your profile page, then scroll down to "Settings."
2. Once in the Settings, click the “Apps” section. You’ll find a list of all the third-party apps that you’ve granted access to.
3. Scroll to the bottom of this list, locate the “Apps, Websites and Plugins” box, click edit, and click “Disable Platform.”
4. On the same App Settings page, find the “Apps Others Use” box, and click Edit. Select which of your personal information is shared when any of your friends use apps, including your bio, your birthday, your recent Facebook activity and even your religious and political affiliations.

Now that you know how to keep your privacy safe, keep on posting those cat memes, gardening tips, and family recipes!