Facebook best practice Privacy settings for applications
Facebook has provided users with powerful controls to protect themselves online, and it is up to individuals to check and ensure that appropriate settings are in place. Sophos has published recommendations for how to configure the settings for each of these privacy areas of Facebook.
Applications:
Facebook allows you to add extra third party applications to your profile. These have a wide array of uses including giving you a weather forecast, allowing you to doodle graffiti on another person's wall, or telling people who your top friends are.
Users should exercise care over which applications they add to their profile as information can be shared with the application's author. Facebook has published terms of service to inform developers of what is and is not acceptable behavior, but there is always the danger that people will abuse the ability.
Two commonly-used applications supplied by Facebook are the facilities for sharing photos and notes with friends:
| Option | Sophos recommends | Why? |
|---|---|---|
| Privacy settings for photos | "Only my friends" (as a minimum) |
With these options you can choose which of your photo albums you want to share with which users. As a minimum, Sophos recommends that photo albums are only shared with friends. Always consider that material you post on the internet may end up in someone else's hands - if the material is likely to embarrass you later think twice about posting it online! |
| Privacy settings for notes | "Only my friends" (as a minimum) Disable syndication |
Facebook users can post Notes on their page. You can allow everybody
on Facebook to read your Notes, but Sophos recommends that as a
minimum you limit visibility of your Notes to just your friends. |
