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Let’s face it. Facebook is hard to quit.
Many of us stay on it even when we know that the company, which also owns Instagram and WhatsApp, tracks much of what we do online. It has so much information about us that it can show ads with such eerie accuracy that many people believe it’s using smartphone microphones to eavesdrop.
But Facebook is also the connective tissue between nearly 3 billion people around the world. If you can’t leave, at least you can make your data as private as possible.
The service’s privacy settings are always shifting. In the 17 years it has existed, the Menlo Park, Calif. company has regularly added and removed options, and settled on its current lengthy list of settings organized in a few overlapping ways.
Facebook offers a “Privacy Checkup” that’s easy to use. However, it skips over some important advertising changes you should note. There’s also a “Privacy Shortcuts” page that includes more, but not all options. Go ahead and do both, but make sure you check all of these settings when you’re done.
And here’s our step-by-step guide. Our recommendations are based on the Web version of Facebook, but all of these settings can also be changed in the mobile app versions. Start here or click on the links to go directly to the setting for each option.
Stop Facebook from targeting ads based on what you do online.
Facebook doesn’t charge users. Instead, it makes money off them through data including what other sites they’ve visited, apps they’ve used and products they’ve bought in the real world. By turning this setting off, you start to reclaim some power in your relationship with the company by limiting how it profits off you.
If you’re still concerned about privacy
Limit who can see all your information and posts shared on Facebook in the past.
Many of us have been on Facebook for over a decade, posting photos from high school through adulthood. Facebook’s changing defaults mean many of our past posts are public and we have no idea. These settings will make sure the past is private if you want them to be.
Turn off Face Recognition for photos and videos
Facial recognition is a fast-growing feature that has unknown privacy implications for the future. Stay safe and turn it off now.
Don’t let anyone tag you in a photo without approval
Stop Facebook from tracking your location
Lock down your other ad settings
Even if Facebook can’t target ads based on what you do off the site, it can still use the data it already collected about you on the site. You can limit that with these settings.
If you want to be extra cautious
Short of deleting your account, the most you can do for your privacy is delete all your past Facebook posts and “disconnect” Facebook from things you do off the site. This gives Facebook the least possible amount of information about you.
First, save your old posts and photos someplace other than Facebook.
Deleting old Facebook content cannot be undone, so if you want to have a record of your years of Facebook posts, likes and photos, back it up first. Do this before deleting an account forever or the next step.
Delete all your past Facebook activity
“Disconnect” and delete “Off-Facebook” activity
Outside businesses also share data with Facebook. You can cut down on those transactions with this setting.
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