Privacy is an important concern when it comes to any online service, especially social media, but I think it's even more so on Facebook. Twitter is specfically designed to broadcast messages out to the world and LinkedIn is used primarily for professional purposes, which means people already apply a certain internal filter when deciding what to publish there. But most people use Facebook to share personal information with a select group of friends that can quickly give you the illusion that you're having somewhat private conversations with these people.
Unfortunately, it's not that cut-and-dried. And it's also a bit of a moving target as Facebook regularly makes changes to how you control their privacy settings, sometimes in response to user complaints (or government action), sometimes to better serve their other stakeholders, like advertisers and third-party developers.
The following posts relate to the most recent changes by Facebook that went into effect in early December and here is Facebook's explanation of how privacy now works.
Facebook's Latest Privacy Changes: The Good, The Bad, and The Oh-So-Ugly
The Good Part of Facebook's New Privacy Settings
The rest of these links relate to earlier versions of the Privacy Settings interface, so some of the steps may have changed or be no longer available. However, they're worth reviewing because they explain some basic concepts that are still valid as well as some areas of common comfusion (sadly, also still valid...)
Privacy Controls in Facebook Pt. 1
Privacy Controls in Facebook Pt. 2
More Info About Facebook Privacy Controls Pt. 1
More Info About Facebook Privacy Controls Pt. 2
Is Facebook Really Giving Your Pics to Third-Party Advertisers?
Reader Question: When Your Facebook Posts Don't Show Up on Friends' Home Pages
Because of the ever-shifting nature of the privacy controls, it's a good idea to regularly go through your current settings and make sure they reflect your preferences. And I will never be able to emphasize this enough. Regardless of how strict you think your privacy controls are, on Facebook or elsewhere,
If you don't want someone to know something about you, don't put it on the Internet!
Posted in Facebook,How To,Privacy/Security,Social Media,Updates,User Interface
