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20 Tips to Protect Your Data Privacy on Facebook

Posted on by in Cyber Security

Facebook and associated apps WhatsApp and Instagram were directing significant part of efforts to get prepared to GDPR. According to what they claimed, they were taking steps to update the products, processes, and policies to deliver the meaningful personal data control and transparency. The privacy settings are now easier to find. Still, the first-day GDPR came to force, FB has received plenty of accusations of breaking the regulations. Why is that happening? Should we take care of our information on our own? Should we always keep in mind which information worth sharing and which does not? The answer is yes, always.

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1. Use a secure and strong password

The most obvious and the most ignored rule of personal privacy is having a secure password. People keep being ignorant and keep using the same password for every service they use, moreover, they are using their date of birth, name, or even the name of the city they live in as a password. It is simple, easy to remember and protects you from… nothing. Password generator will grant you with understanding what a secure password should look like.

2. Skip autofill option

If you wonder how to protect data, stop using autofill option, especially for your credit card details. Once you lose your device, you lose protection of anything that is stored in cookies and browser settings. Filling in the forms will grant you with a sufficient level of security.

3. Refrain from signing up via FB account

Facebook privacy works unless you share information yourself with third parties. Today almost every app with a personal cabinet has an option of signing up with FB data. Using this option is not the safest way to create an account though. Most users consider it to be a fast option. They skip reading what kind of data is collected and how is it stored. Spend a few extra minutes to fill in annoying registration forms if your goal is keeping it safe.

4. Manage apps that are using your FB data

Many users have already shared personal information stored on Facebook with third parties. Hopefully, there is a way to get it back. Go to Settings > Apps, where you will find all applications that are using your details. Edit or remove those which you don’t trust or all of them.

5. Turn off all platform apps

On the Apps page, you will find an option Apps Others Use. Click Edit and check the data you want to share. To protect yourself, check no boxes here, leave everything empty. Note, it won’t allow you to play games anymore.

6. Archie your profile

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Download your data to have a better understanding what are you sharing online. Find Settings on the top right of any page. Below the general account settings, you will find an option of downloading a copy your Facebook data. Start archive on the next page. By having it, you will know exactly what information you have already shared.

7. Manage the amount of data

Deleting a birth date and place, education, employment and other information will keep you secure. No data – no risk. According to what you’ve learned in your archive, manage and delete all personal details.

8. Don’t mark your relatives

Don’t use an option to mark your relatives. Think about the protection of other people as well. Exclude any relationship statuses.

9. Restrict other websites collecting info

In Settings, you will find Ad Preferences where you can allow or not allow adds based on data from your activity on Facebook Community Products, meaning WhatsApp and Instagram, and based on data from FB partners. It is recommended not to allow the adds.

10. Manage interests

At the same tab under your interests, you can manage additional topics to avoid useless advertising on your feed. Your interests are your identifier as well. Deleting all options will make sense for those people who want to keep it secret.

11. Look through the categories

Under Your Information at the same tab, you will find categories which help advertisers define you as a target audience. In other words, delete everything from this section to avoid sharing it with third parties.

12. Deleting the account is not an option

delete-facebook-account

As many of users acknowledge, deleting/suspending the account is as simple as restoring it. By doing it in a wrong way, which is mostly used, you won’t hide any of details about you and all the community, and the third parties will continue using it.

13. Delete account permanently within 14 days

To delete your data and account permanently you have to do proceed all the previously described steps in Settings, and ask support for help in deleting your account permanently. You will have to go through a procedure which is different from what is offered in Settings. Don’t forget to archive all your data if needed.

14. Data network security

Network security is another issue worth attention. Data leak can happen on any unprotected network such as public wifi. Use only protected networks or don’t do any actions requiring data share in public places. Another option is using paid VPN.

15. Public, work, or other devices

The data leak is in more than 80% of cases is a result of human actions. For that reason, don’t use your account at work for testing or registering, don’t log it at work for private use, if necessary, remember to delete login details and a cache of the browser. The apparent reminder, make sure always to log out.

16. Use your Right To Be Forgotten

In the case you want to delete any of your information online, or at least do everything possible for that reason, You can spend a good few hours and send an email to each FB partner demanding to apply the Right To Be Forgotten. Make a template email and send it to organizations you will manage to find in your account settings. The process is time and efforts consuming. Before doing it, consider whether you need to protect your data on this level.

17. Get rid of all the apps

No WhatsApp, Instagram, Messanger, and FB. If your desire to protect data worth deleting all the contacts and conversations, then this is necessary. The community collects your logs in, locations and all the data present on your phone including contacts.

18. Use VPN

VPN on your phone will grant you with additional security. Not only it protects you from unprotected public networks, but it also prevents collecting your locations. Having a VPN on your phone have nothing but benefits if you are using the trusted one.

19. Data security policy

If information security is critical to you, read the updated policy instead of news and decide whether the issue worth trying or not. Spend a few hours, research, compare it to the previous version and make a decision.

20. Be concerned

On the one hand, sharing any details about a regular life of an ordinary person won’t hurt anyone. Moreover, there are plenty of personalized benefits including adds of the services which can quickly lose the target audience without this information. On the other hand, we are granting it too generously allowing AI technologies grow fast and develop. Without being concerned and educated, we give a green light not only to trusted organizations but also to scammers. More care more protection.

Author: Nicole Cowart

Nicole Cowart is a freelance blogger at https://australianwritings.com.au/ who specializes in protection measures. Not only he cares about the protection but also about people being concerned and informed about who and why need to have access to what is considered to be personal.

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