Keeping Tib’s Facebook Private
(simple steps to secure your FB wall and photos)

There have been a lot of helpful posts written about the new Facebook layout this past week.  But none that I’ve seen have dealt with the biggest privacy issue: tagging.  Whenever you tag someone in a picture or a post, all of their friends can also see and comment on your post—unless you are sharing with only a custom group.  [September 2012: Facebook has since added the custom check box "Friends of those tagged", so custom groups are no longer necessary for this issue.  I've noted outdated information with a strike-out in the rest of this post. -GL]

This post doesn’t go into everything about understanding the new Facebook.  This post simply contains just the steps that our little fictional friend Tib—or her mom—will need to complete in order to keep Tib’s Facebook account private. 

Because Tib, you know, was so excited that she was finally allowed to get a Facebook account.  But with all the changes, her friends are posting statuses telling her to hover over their name and unsubscribe (this really only gives false security).  And her mom is so worried about all the privacy issues that Tib is afraid she’s going to make her delete her account.

This post is to reassure Tib and her mom—and to give the rest of you the non-technical details on how to keep your Facebook photos and posts viewable to just your friends.

Read on for details on these simple steps:
A. Choose & Populate Lists
B. Set Default Privacy Level to Your Custom List(s)
C. Enable Tagging Moderation
D. Check Privacy Level of Your Information

Plus…
Editing Posts on Your Timeline
Things to Remind Tib About…

Our friend Tib doesn’t think she needs lists. She keeps everything small and private, so she wants to interact with and stay in touch with everyone on her small friends list. However, she’s tired of all Tacy’s friends commenting on her photos, so she took the time to put all her friends into a “Photos” list with which she shares her photos, so that even when she tags Tacy in a picture, Tacy’s friends can’t see or comment.
-from “Understanding the New Facebook”

A. Choose & Populate Lists

Why? Because unless you are sharing with only a custom list, the friends of anyone tagged in a post or photo can also see your post or photo.  (If you don’t care about tagging issues, lists are optional—you may skip to step two.)

1. Go to https://www.facebook.com/bookmarks/lists.  Choose which kinds of lists you are going to use.  Will you make one custom list called “Friends” and put everyone in there?  (If so, click “Create a List” and proceed to step 4.)  Or will you want to utilize the multiple smart and custom lists of the Close Friends, Acquaintances, and Family?
2. Click the little pencil by a list to add it to your favorites if it’s one you plan to use, or always hide it if you don’t want to use it.
   
3. Choose a list name, then click the Manage List button.  Choose “Add/Remove Friends”.
   
4. Click on the name of each friend you want to add to the list.
   
   It will put a blue checkmark on their profile picture:
   
5. Scroll down and click “Done.”
   
6. Repeat for each list you want to use.
   (If you’re really wanting to be organized, print out the list at https://www.facebook.com/yourprofilename/friends and by each person’s name write the initial of the list you want each friend to be in, so that you don’t put them in multiple lists.)

 

B. Set Default Privacy Level to Your Custom List(s)

Why? So you never have to think twice—you’re always and only sharing with a custom list, instead of all your friends.  You can always change the privacy level on specific posts or albums.(If you don’t care about the tagging issue, set this to just friends.)

1. Go to https://www.facebook.com/settings/?tab=privacy.
2. Click “Custom”.
   
3. Select the following options, using the lists you filled with your friends:
   The important thing here is to choose “Specific People or Lists…”—otherwise you won’t be protecting your tagged items at all.
4. Click “Save Settings.”

C. Enable Tagging Moderation

Why? So people won’t be able to tag you in photos or posts without your approval.  (This keeps all your friends from being able to see what your non-mutual friend tags you in—unless you approve.)

1. Go to https://www.facebook.com/settings/?tab=privacy.
2. Scroll down to “How Tags Work” and click “Edit Settings”.
   
3. Choose these settings—”on” for review, “off” for suggestions and check-ins”, and custom timeline visibility (set it to the same custom visibility as #3 in B above):
   
4. Click “Done.”

D. Check Privacy Level of Your Facebook Information

Why? Because sometimes Facebook defaults it back to public.  (To be fair, Google Plus does the same thing sometimes.)

Check Your Basic Privacy Settings

1. Go to https://www.facebook.com/settings/?tab=privacy.
2. You already defined your default privacy in #3 of B above, so it should look like this:
   
3. Scroll down to “How You Connect” and click “Edit Settings:
   
4. Choose your desired settings and click “Done”:
   
5. You already took care of Tags in #3 above, so scroll down to “Apps and Websites” and click “Edit Settings”:
   
6. Here you can remove unwanted or unfamiliar apps, or simply disable them all:
   
7. Click “Edit Settings” next to “How people bring your info to apps they use”:
8. Make sure nothing is checked under your personal info that your friends can use in their apps, and click “Save Changes”:
   
9. Click “Edit Settings” next to “Instant Personalization”:
10. You may have to click “Close” on the info screen, but then make sure the box is un-checked on “Instant Personalization” before you click “Back to Apps”:
    
11. Click “Edit Settings” next to “Public Search”
    
12. Make sure the box is un-checked on “enable public search” (this has nothing to do with other people on Facebook finding you—only whether your Facebook account could appear in Google search results) and click “Back to Apps”:
    
13. Click “Back to Privacy”.
14. Unless you’ve previously had your wall public or friends only, you don’t need to worry about the “Past Post Visibility” section.
15. Under “Blocked People and Apps” you can block certain people from interacting with you at all on Facebook.  You can also set up your “Restricted” list of friends who are your friends but whom you don’t want to see anything but your personal information.  Plus, it’s another place to block or unblock apps:
    
16. Finally, go to https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=security&section=browsing&t and make sure “Secure Browsing” is checked. If it’s not, put a check in the box and click “Save Changes”:
    

Check Your Profile/Timeline Privacy Settings

1. Go to https://www.facebook.com/editprofile.php and edit each piece of information (from education to likes and friends), checking to make sure it has the privacy settings you want before you click “Done Editing”:
   
2. Click your name to get back to your new Timeline, then use the “View As…” drop-down option next to “View Activity” and type in any name to see what a friend or someone on your restricted friends list would see:
   
3. Click the “public” link under “View As”:
   That’s what anyone could see, even if they’re not your friend.  You can also copy the address for your profile/timeline and paste it into a browser that’s not logged into Facebook—that’s what anyone—even those without a Facebook account—could see.
4. To edit individual items on your Timeline (when you’ve posted a status, commented somewhere, liked a page, etc.), use the drop-down by each item.  Click the pencil to hide an item from your Timeline, unlike it, or even report it as app spam:
   You can also click the star to feature the item as full-width on your Timeline:
5. Continue to edit and tweak your profile settings based on what you see in steps 2-3 until you are comfortable with what appears to the public and your friends.

Remind Tib:

Only share posts/photos with your custom group(s).

Don’t forget to add new friends to the appropriate custom group(s) so they will actually see your posts/photos.

Don’t approve tags unless you’re okay with the possibility of all your friends seeing what you were tagged in (of course, it will depend on if your friend was sharing the tagged item with a custom group like you are, or with all their friends).

Don’t give any “apps” or other websites permission to access your Facebook account.  (Check the “Apps” settings at https://www.facebook.com/settings/?tab=privacy to remove any accidentally added apps.)

Don’t join “open” groups, and be careful about joining “closed” groups—only “secret” groups will keep your group posts and your group membership private.

Watch the privacy level of where you post:

• If you post a comment on a public “fan page” wall, or the wall of a public figure you’re “subscribed” too, that post will be public.
• If you post a comment in a public “group”, anyone can see your post.
• If you post a comment in a “close” or “secret” group, only group members can see your post.
• If you post a comment on a friend’s wall, at the very least all their friends can see it, at the most anyone might be able to see it.
• Use messages for private messaging instead of writing back and forth on walls.
• Check the symbol under the post to check who can see the post and all the comments on it. Hover over the symbol for details.
  Public:
  
  Friends of Friends:
  
  Friends:
  
  Custom List:
  

The “cover” photo on the new Timeline Profile is completely public—don’t make your cover anything too personal.

Your answers to “Questions” are always public—beware what “Questions” you answer, or don’t answer any at all.

Check the steps in B, C, and D (your profile & default privacy settings) as often as you change your password, and whenever Facebook makes any changes.

For more on privacy and the new Facebook, check out:

• my post “Understanding the New Facebook”
• Jen Fong’s “The New Facebook and Privacy”