Facebook is all about connecting and sharing your life with friends, family and other people you know. You can also meet new friends, promotes your business, and do a lot of other fun things with it.
Unfortunately, there are just some things you shouldn’t share or make online to the public. These bits of information can put you in danger of identity theft, losing your account to hackers, losing your job or causing other major life trouble. Here are the top six of your important details I think you shouldn’t share or make them online to the public.
Before we continue, however, this is a good time to remind you that Facebook has a range of privacy controls to limit what certain people can see about you. Follow our simple step-by-step guides to keep strangers and snoops out of your Facebook profile.
1. YOUR PHONE NUMBER
It’s very important to avoid having your phone numbers on your Facebook page. As prank callers, stalkers and even identity thieves can use this information against you to ruin your day.
Not only that, but people who have your phone number, which isn’t hard to find online, can use it to search for you on Facebook.
Although there are times it is good to give your phone number to Facebook, such as turning on two-factor authentication (for extra protection of you account). But if you do give your phone number to Facebook, just make sure to hide it in your profile.
To hide your phone number from the public, just go to Facebook and click on your name at the top of the page. When your profile page loads, click the “About” tab just below your cover image. Go to “Contact and Basic Info” in the left column and next to your phone number click the “Edit” link.
Click the audience selector icon, which will either be a globe or a silhouette of two people and change it to “Only me.” Now no one but you can see your phone number, and it won’t show up in searches.
2. YOUR HOME ADDRESS
It’s only people trying to steal your identity, or rob your house, could take advantage of knowing your home address. So be sure that none of that information is visible anywhere on your Facebook profile.
Just follow the directions in the last section to get into the “Contact and Basic Info” section of your profile information. Look for “Neighborhood,” and if there’s an address there, click the “Edit” link next to it and wipe out the information. Then click “Save Changes.”
3. ANYTHING WORK-RELATED
This is also very important, try not to leave any information on your Facebook that reveals where you work. You don’t just have to worry about identity thieves when it comes to your employment.
If someone from your workplace tries to search for employees on Facebook, then they might find something that they don’t like. Similarly, if a hacker wanted to figure out whom to target if they wanted to break into your workplace’s computers, social media would be their first stop. So be wise and hide all your work related information or if possible delete them.
4. YOUR RELATIONSHIP STATUS
Including your relationship status on your Facebook page just invites awkwardness. Certain relationship statuses are also a draw for cyberstalkers. And don’t forget that scammers out there who specialize in sweetheart scams. They use social media, email and dating sites to create a romantic connection with you and then swindle you out of money. You don’t want them to see that you’re single on Facebook and get ideas.
It’s easier to just remove your relationship status entirely. Let people find out about changes in your relationship naturally and not passively acknowledge your relationship status by “likes” and comments.
5. YOUR BIRTHDATE
Yes, your birthdate it’s also an important details you should hide from the public. When you signed up for Facebook, it asked for your birthdate. This is both to confirm that you’re older than 13, and so Facebook can remind your friends to wish you a happy birthday.
Unfortunately, your birthdate is a piece of information that identity thieves will need if they want to pretend to be you. You don’t want this information publicly available.
In your Facebook profile, click your name at the top. Then beneath your cover photo click “About.” Under “About” in the left column, choose “Contact and Basic Info.” Next to “Birth Date” click the “Edit” icon. Then click the audience selector icons for both day and year and choose “Only Me.” Then click the “Save Changes” button.
6. YOUR PAYMENT INFORMATION
This is the last and most important one. Facebook is free to use, but it still wants your credit card number. Adding your financial information lets you buy gift cards, facebook ads, and other products straight through the website. I normally use this feature to buy the facebook ads. How convenient and helpful!
Of course, one of the best ways to accidentally get your credit card charged for something could be to leave your Facebook profile open on your computer or phone. A small family member or “joking” friend at your home could use it to spend money on something straight through Facebook. You don’t want that to happen, do you?
So prevention is better than cure. To remove it, open your Facebook, click the upside-down triangle in the top right corner and choose “Settings.” In the left column select “Payments,” and then on the right go the “Account Settings” tab. You can see if you have any saved payment information and remove it.
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