As Facebook continues to get more users and this is increasing at an unprecedented scale, security and privacy become a concern. More and more Facebook accounts are being hacked almost every day. The question is, is Facebook actually not secured enough? Or is it the users who aren’t taking security measures provided by Facebook?
In this post, I’ll guide you on how to add extra security and privacy to your Facebook account.
Add Extra Security and Privacy to Your Facebook Account
To access the Facebook security and Privacy settings, tap on the white arrow at the top left of the Facebook window. If you’re using the Facebook app on a phone locate Account Settings.
Security and Login
Let’s first look at the security and login settings. First, go to the Facebook Settings and click or tap on the Security and Login section.
This section will show you the devices where your Facebook account is logged in and active at that moment and it’s a good place to check on if lost your phone and want to remotely log out your Facebook account from a device.
But the place I want you to focus on is the Setting Up Extra Security section.
You have three security settings within this section, Alerts for unrecognized devices, which when turned on will alert you if anyone logs in from a device or browser you don’t use.
The other security settings is Two-factor authentication or sometimes called Two-Step Verification, is a way of verifying a user twice while trying to login to his/her account. The first step is by using your username and password and the second step is by sending you a verification code to your phone number which you will enter to complete the login. This will help to avoid someone trying to login to your account from another device.
The last security settings in this section is, friends to contact if you get locked out of your account. You can choose 3 or 5 of your trusted friends you chose who can securely help if you ever have trouble accessing your account.
Changing the Privacy Settings
Most people after setting up an account on Facebook they don’t go through the privacy settings and make changes as necessary. There are some privacy settings that you can change to suit you.
Within the Privacy settings and tools, you can control who can see your post, who can contact you or send you a friend request, who can search you on Facebook using the email address you provided or phone or even disallow search engines to link your profile. Click Edit on any settings that you need to update and then save the changes.
Timeline and Tagging
You can change what people can do on your timeline by updating some few settings within the Timeline and Tagging Settings.
Within this section, you can change who can post on your timeline and you can manually approve tags from friends before they appear on your timeline and other tagging options. Make sure you click on Edit to make the necessary changes.
Blocking
Facebook allows users to block other users, messages, apps, app invites, pages, event invites and restricted list.
Once you block someone, that person can no longer see things you post on your timeline, tag you, invite you to events or groups, start a conversation with you, or add you as a friend. Note: Does not include apps, games or groups you both participate in.
Get a strong password
By all means, avoid using weak passwords. Don’t use short passwords or passwords that contain only numbers or text. A strong password should be at least 10 characters or more, the lengthier the password the better and harder to crack. Learn more about strong passwords.
What should you do when your Facebook account is hacked
If you noticed that your account has been hacked, act quickly. If the hacker hasn’t changed your password yet go ahead and change it with a stronger and lengthier password. Find out what makes a password strong or weak and ways to make you remember them.
But if he does change your password try to reset it by clicking the Forget Password link and go through the questions to prove you own the account.
You can also simply report an account as a compromised account to Facebook. To do this, go to the timeline of the account and click on the button with 3 dots and click Report.
Final Thoughts
There’s nothing like 100% security and privacy when you’re online. But at least by taking few steps to adjust some security and privacy settings provided for you; will definitely help.
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Ousman Faal [Digital Vigilante] is a Tech Entrepreneur & Digital Skills Trainer who teaches both in the classroom and online. He has experience in various technologies and likes sharing it with others. Ousman has published 149 articles on this blog. He is the CEO of Faalen Technologies and Skills.gm.
