The Internet's Freshest Face

No matter how strict your privacy settings are, there’s still some information you should always leave off your profile. Things like cell phone numbers, home addresses, your exact date of birth and any other identifying information should be left off your profile.

This privacy concern wasn’t on Molly Connolly’s* mind when she first signed up for Facebook. The 20-year-old Rutgers University student started her profile when Facebook was only open to college students. “I, foolishly at the time, had my cell phone number posted on my page for any of the people in my Rutgers network to see,” she says. “It seemed like a convenient way for friends to have my number.”

When Molly didn’t want a fellow student from her Social Psychology class to have her cell number, she directed him to her Facebook page, forgetting that her cell number and AIM screen name were on there. “He proceeded to call me, repeatedly, despite the fact that I had a boyfriend and hadn’t given him my number in the first place,” she says.

She has since blocked the student, strengthened her privacy settings and removed her cell phone number from her profile page. When Facebook opened to the public in 2006, Molly was quick to react. “When it opened up to anyone and everyone, I tightened who could see my profile,” she says. “It’s disconcerting to put so much personal information out there for anyone to see.”

Also, be careful about who you consider a “friend” on Facebook. “Don’t friend people you aren’t sure you want to know,” advises Karel M. Baloun, a former Facebook engineer and author of Inside Facebook: Life, Work and Visions of Greatness. “Friending someone tells them all about you, so be sure you’re giving that access wisely and use a limited profile where you’re not sure.”