Securing Your Data in Facebook - SocMed Privacy Best Practices - Part 1

To the truly paranoid, the only way to protect your data against being siphoned or collected by anyone is not to have your data posted online at all. Unfortunately, it feels and looks impossible in this day and age. People have an unfounded fear of missing out on what is going on online.

As such, the next best thing we can do is be constantly made aware of best practices for each social media (SocMed) platform on how to minimize possible data collection from parties you do not want to have anything to do with. Data analysis on the other hand is impossible for the specific platform you are on. Why? because most platforms explicitly indicated in their Terms of Use that they can and will do so, once you sign up and use their platform.

That said, let's tackle Facebook and the next best thing everyone can do while they are using it.

Data Security Best Practice While Using Facebook - Part 1

1. Do Not Login/Register to Other Networks Using Your Facebook Account

By using your Facebook account to login/register/authenticate to other platforms, you are also giving that platform permission to access your "unsecured facebook data" available to them.

The screenshot below will tell you what happens if-and-when you do use your Facebook account to login to other apps or platform.

Here's a screenshot of that specific section.

And that is:

On Facebook, your name, profile picture, cover photo, gender, networks, username, and user id are always publicly available to both people and apps. Learn why. Apps also have access to your friends list and any information you choose to make public.

How to Prevent App Login using Facebook

• Visit https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=applications
• Look for "Apps, Websites and Plugins"
  
  
• Click "Edit" and make sure "Platform is off" similar to the screenshot below:
  
  

2. Do Not Authorize Any Apps

You've already been made aware in the previous statement that "Apps also have access to your friends list and any information you choose to make public."

And that it also allows:

People who can see your info can bring it with them when they use apps. Use this setting to control the categories of information people can bring with them.

How to Protect Your Data from Being Collected by Other Apps

• Visit https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=applications
• Look for "Apps Others Use" (see screenshot above)
• Click "Edit" and uncheck everything. Yes, everything!
  
  

You can clearly see that this appears to be only in-effect if-and-when "Platform is on" or App Login is allowed. Why is there a need to uncheck everything? I offer you two important things to consider and is also often involved in a hack or when hacking.

• Even if you don't use App Login, a connection (friend) in Facebook is using an app. It is this setting that disallows third-party (apps, websites, plugin) system to be able to collect data.
• Even if "Platform is off" or App Login is disallowed, it might still be possible (possibly through an undisclosed programming error) that a session is available for third-party (app) system to still be able to collect your data.

3. Lock Down Posts Made Prior to Availability of Privacy (Audience) Settings of Facebook

Way back when Facebook started, it was made for a specific demographic of people and the people who had access to it is very limited. Leak of personal information back then is easy to trace within the platform. So, privacy wasn't much of a concern. And in between that and to the Facebook we know today, people made application with very much the same lack of concern for privacy, some of which may still be in use or available for posterity's sake.

We know that Facebook rose to fame as it opened up to other users and eventually gained global usage or audience. Today posts made before the Audience selector feature of Facebook simply can't be moved or migrated to the newer system and only drastic measures can be applied. Strict limitation of audience - "Only me"

There are so many counter arguments against being able to do this, and I offer the following keywords for your own research:

• Right to be Forgotten
• Statute of Limitations

Summary of Facebook Safety & Privacy Best Practice - Part 1

1. Do Not Login/Register to Other Networks Using Your Facebook Account, (How To)
2. Do Not Authorize Any Apps, (How To)
3. Lock Down Posts Made Prior to Availability of Privacy (Audience) Settings of Facebook, (How To)

And to further help increase your Safety & Privacy habits or practices, know some Internet Safety Myths right here in our blog.