Is Facebook Your Friend?*

May 4, 2010 by Bob Stallings.

I am not a Facebook fan, although I do have an account (www.facebook.com/bobstallings).  That aside, what should concern you if you are on Facebook (or are thinking about signing up) is Facebook’s privacy policy: “. . . your name, profile photo, list of friends and pages you are a fan of, gender, geographic region, and networks you belong to are considered publicly available to everyone . . .” (Dec. 9, 2009).  To change Facebook’s default settings, click on the “Account” pull-down menu (upper right corner of your home page), then click on “Privacy Settings.” There are five different sets of controls: Profile Information, Contact Information, Applications and Websites, Search, and Block List. Go through each one and set controls to the level of privacy with which you are comfortable. What’s right for someone else may not be right for you. Facebook has a list of “Recommended Settings” (www.facebook.com/privacy/explanation.php), but a better discussion may be found at www.allfacebook.com/2010/01/facebook-privacy-tips.

NOTE:  Since this article was written, Facebook had changed its privacy policy and settings once again.

* This post originally appeared in the “Senior Cyber Tips” column of the USC Retiree Community Newsletter 29:2 (May 2010), p. 6.

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