The Importance of Privacy

One of the coolest features in Facebook isn’t a game or application—it’s the privacy settings.

Facebook firmly supports its members’ ability to control the information that’s available to the public. If you’re like most new users, you’re concerned about keeping your contact information safe and the content of your profile limited to only a select group of people. In an age where hackers, worms and online security breaches are not uncommon, your concerns about keeping your information safe are legitimate.

There’s a privacy link at the top of your page. Click on it regularly to review and update your privacy settings. Within the privacy overview, you can make your profile visible to anyone who searches for you, or only friends or people in your networks. You can create a limited profile wherein only your location information and photos—but none of your applications—are visible and assign that limited profile to a portion of your friends list. You can even block users if you’re being harassed. Explore these options and make at least three privacy setting changes today. You’ll be glad you did!

One important privacy issue is the new Facebook Beacon advertising program. The Beacon allows any of your activities on other sites, like Fandango, Travelocity, Amazon and more, to be recorded on your profile. Because of the uproar over privacy concerns, Facebook allows you to turn this feature off in the “External Websites” feature in the privacy section. You’d be smart to do so.