Understanding Privacy and Security Settings on Facebook

Privacy and security are the number-one concerns on the Internet, and are particularly relevant in the world of social networking. Identity theft is a daily threat, and spammers lurk behind many websites, trying to nab your email address. Guarding yourself online is more important than ever. Along with these dangers, a social networking site such as Facebook also throws in the risks of humiliation, embarrassment, and criticism if you end up posting information you’re not supposed to or revealing far too much information to the wrong people. So, how do you begin to protect yourself and still network freely?

The reality is anything you post on Facebook has the potential to be publicly available. This includes your picture and your profile information, such as political views, relationship status, and so on. Facebook does do all it can to protect your personal information, but things happen, hackers can attack, and so on. You may think that only people you allow to be your friends on Facebook can view your info, but that’s not the case. There are ways of finding someone’s profile on Facebook. Potential employers, law enforcement, teachers, and anyone else determined to do so can find a way to see your profile. If your privacy settings are lax, even a simple search engine can access your profile.