Note: Facebook has committed to making these settings easier to find, so there may be some variance in what we depict below.

A September 2018 security hole in Facebook allowed 50 Million accounts to be accessed by hackers.  Check to see if you were affected.

Facebook reached a new low in March 2018. A massive data compromise was exposed that allowed Cambridge Analytica to obtain extensive psychographic information about 50 million Facebook users in 2014. This data was probably used to manipulate the 2016 Presidential elections.

Let’s be honest, in exchange for using this FREE service, you upload text, pictures, videos for Facebook to learn more about you. They then use this personal information to sell ads and more.  There is no free lunch. Facebook is a money making machine, not your friend.

Short of deleting Facebook and Facebook messenger, This is how you can adjust your Facebook Privacy Settings to protect yourself.

Two Factor Authentication

In September 2018 it became know that Facebook uses your second factor authentication for advertising purposes!  Do not use your phone number or another email address, instead use the option of employing Google Authenticator.

Important: You need to make change at both Facebook.com AND inside the Facebook App

Adjust Facebook.com Website Settings

Remove any friends you do not really know.  They can send you scams or other information with out being filtered.

Login to Facebook, Open the  App Settings Page

Click Edit in the Apps, Websites and Plugins box.

Also set Old Versions of Facebook for Mobile to Only me

Click Disable Platform

This will prevent Facebook from sharing your data with other apps and websites. You also cannot use your Facebook login to login to other sites any more.

If you want to still allow using Platform but want to lock down what is shared, instead of Disable Platform, select Edit under Apps Other Use.

We recommend Unchecking EVERY box and hitting Save

Adjust Facebook Ad Settings

Click on Ads in the lower left area of the Facebook Settings Page

For Advertisers you’ve interacted with – Click the triangle in the right side, to show the settings. Click on every company to disable this.

For Your Information – Click the triangle in the right side, to show the settings. Turn off everything. Also click the Your categories tab and turn off EVERYTHING. Pretty scary?

For Your Ad Settings – Click the triangle in the right side, to show the settings. Turn off everything.

For Hide Ad topics – Click the triangle in the right side, to show the settings. Set all of them to Permanently

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Facebook Privacy Settings and Tools

Visit the Facebook Privacy Page to lock down its settings.

Adjust the settings so it looks like our screen. This was the best we could do. Make sure you have a bogus phone number in Facebook. Do not allow search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile.

Change your birthday so it is a day earlier

Click the Use Activity Log link and remove yourself from any posts you have been tagged in.

Turn off Face Recognition

Visit the Face Recognition Settings and turn it to No

Adjust Timeline and Tagging Settings

Visit the Timeline and Tagging Settings and adjust it to the following:

Remove Facebook Likes

Click Timeline on your personal Facebook Page

Click More in the middle area and select Likes

Remove the Likes for as many items as possible! Delete TV Shows, Books, Events, Questions, Reviews and Movies from the list

Facebook Mobile App Privacy Lockdown

The above settings affect the Facebook App, but there are additional settings that need to be set in the App.

Prevent Facebook from using your Location

Facebook’s App can use your location even when you are not running it.

To disable it in iOS:

•  Settings – Privacy – Location Services -Facebook –  Never or While Using App

To disable it in Android:

• Settings – Apps – Facebook – Permissions – Location – Off

Remove Uploaded Contacts from Facebook

Click here to visit the  page to remove uploaded contacts in Facebook.

Prevent Facebook from continuously uploading new contacts from your phone.

Turn off Upload contacts if you use the Facebook App, it is located at:

• 3 lines in lower right corner of Faceebok App, Settings, Account settings, General, Upload contacts
• Facebook has a page to help you prevent syncing of contacts to Messenger. Details on the issue with Facebook looking at all your calls

Adjust who can see your posts from New Feed or Profile

• Select 3 lines in lower right corner of Facebook App, Settings, Account settings, General, Privacy, Check a Few Important Settings

Select Friends or Only me

On the next screen for Posts, also select Friends or Only me

The next screen will then be Profile

Lock Down your Profile

Select the appropriate level of lockdown for each item. Only me would be most secure.

The Next screen would be Apps

Remove Unnecessary Apps

Click the X next to apps you no longer need.

Timeline and Tagging

• Select 3 lines in lower right corner of Facebook App, Settings, Account settings, Timeline and Tagging

Adjust Time line and Tagging to: Only me for all settings

Change the 2 Review settings to: On

Limit Facebook Location Data

• Select 3 lines in lower right corner of Facebook App, Settings, Account settings, Location

Do not allow Facebook to save your location, do not share location with Nearby Friends, Do not Find Wi-Fi

Adjust Public Posts

• Select 3 lines in lower right corner of Facebook App, Settings, Account settings, Public Posts

Adjust these settings to something less than Public

Interests

• Select 3 lines in lower right corner of Facebook App, Settings, Account settings, Ad Preferences

Remove all the Interests by clicking on each one and selecting Remove Interest.  Other settings should have been set at Facebook.com with the instructions above.

Facebook Messenger

Facebook keeps all your messenger messages.. FOREVER.  Scary isn’t that?

Here is how you delete Facebook messenger messages, conversations and photos.

Items We are still working on cleaning:

• Check-Ins
• Removing Apps

Do you feel more secure now?