Boedi's Technology Blog: Guard Your Privacy on Facebook

"Facebook is a free-access social networking website that is operated and privately owned by Facebook, Inc. Users can join networks organized by city, workplace, school, and region to connect and interact with other people. People can also add friends and send them messages, and update their personal profiles to notify friends about themselves. The website's name refers to the paper facebooks depicting members of a campus community that some US colleges and preparatory schools give to incoming students, faculty, and staff as a way to get to know other people on campus." as quoted from Wikipedia.

The Facebook excitement

Remember the first time you joined Facebook - a while ago - and the urge feel to be connected with your current friends from school, university, church or office, your brothers or sisters or in-laws. Because now you could see what everybody are doing, what they feel or think, you could see photos of yours or theirs, when are their birthdays, what are their favorites music and movies, and some personal information such as e-mail addresses, phone numbers, home addresses, and where they work or study. You feel so great about it and encourage others to join Facebook. Practically - you use Facebook as platform to share your information, activities, feelings, and opinion to all of your 'Friends' on Facebook.

You even feel more excited when - out of sudden - you meet some people from the past - including your old best friends from high schools whom you have not heard from for many years.
There were days - when you have to accept so many new Facebook friends including current or old friends, friends of your brother, friends of your dorm roommate, friends of friends, and - without realizing it - the list of your Facebook friends have gone longer by each day. In the span of weeks or months - your network grows so fast - it is simply too overwhelming to check them all of them since they're all mixed into one long 'Friends' list.

Facebook make it easy for you to add new friends. By a simple click 'OK' you will then be connected to a friend and that will give you 'rights' to access their Wall, Info, Photos, and other things your friend has on its Facebook pages. It is reciprocal 'rights' - as your 'friends' will gain the same access to your information.
Facebook's default privacy settings includes:

for "Only Friends" to see your Basic and Contact Information, and
for "Everyone" to be able to Search (and) Discover you and some of your information including your Profile Picture and your Friend List.

Unlike Instance Messaging or Internet e-mail account where some of us have a tendency to put alias or false date of birth and even home address intentionally. In Facebook - since we think that we will be meeting friends we know - most of us put our actual Personal Info including mobile phone, date of birth, e-mail address, spouse / date name on our Facebook's profile. Uh - it seems normal and nothing wrong with that, right?

Now, let see how Facebook manage your information

Facebook only give us four options on whom we want to share those information with, i.e. 1) Only Friends, 2) Friends of Friends, 3) Everyone on Facebook, and 4) Exception for individuals. No option for close friend or so-so friend groups. The default is option 1). Some of us do not know that we can change the privacy settings. Most of us will accept this default option automatically without even checking it.
What some of us do not realize is the risks by putting our personal detail on the OPEN for ALL 'FRIENDS' - including the one we do not really know (e.g. friends from the past you barely remember, friends of your cousin, and friends of friends).
Besides the Privacy Setting - there are also applications on Facebook - such as MyCalendar - that pull your profile information, photos, your friends' info, and other content that it requires to work. Off course - they could only do that with your consent - by clicking "Allow" button.

There were real cases where people were fired or lost their chance to get hired or even divorced- because of the information share by them or their friends thru Facebook. There were real cases where identity was stolen and misused - usualy the owner do not realise it until it was too late. Just google it to get to know those cases - e.g. google for "facebook identity stolen".

Facebook - Common Sense Checklist

I think I scare you enough. The following are some common sense checklist on how to guard your privacy and protect yourself while you still could enjoy sharing news with your friends on Facebook:
1. Ask yourself - if you need to share specific personal information on your profile - such as home address, e-mail, mobile number, birthday, education info, work info, and relationship status to anyone?
2. Ask yourself - do you know who could access all of those information and how you could control it?

3. Ask yourself - before accepting the friend invitation - if you really know who they are?
4. Ask yourself - before accepting the application invitation - if you really know what information you will share to that application?
5. Ask yourself - do you want all of your Friends (including your current / potential employer, spouse) to know your past activities?

So ask yourself again - have you done enough to Guard Your Privacy and protect yourself while using the Facebook?

If you are not sure - then it is time to check your Account, Privacy, and Application Settings now!

Some useful links:

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