How to stay safe on Facebook

Facebook is good for connecting with others from different parts of the world but you still need to protect yourself from those who use it for criminal activities.


1. YOUR PAGE IS NOT PRIVATE

   Do not ever think that your facebook page is private, nothing you post on Facebook is private. Anything you put on Facebook is there for the entire world to see. Your employers, business partners, job interviewers will at some point check out your information on Facebook and if they find anything that is not in line with their reputation, you might just have lost that deal or job.

2. DO NOT ACCEPT ALL FRIEND REQUEST

   Facebook is meant to socially connect with people all over the world but not all friend request are genuine. There have been reported cases of fake accounts. If you do not know the person, do not add them to your friends list or at best check their profile, if the person has just 1 photo or if things do not add up, ignore the request.

3. BE CAREFUL WHEN POST PHOTOS OF CHILDREN

   Be careful exposing children too early to Facebook, ensure you have all privacy settings set to maximum. Anyone can simply download the photo.

4. RESTRICT PERSONAL INFORMATION

   Restrict personal information you post on Facebook. Your home address, phone number, date of birth will become public information once you post it on Facebook, you need to consider if that is what you want. Check your profile always to be sure you are not posting personal information. Anyone that really needs your contact information can send a message.

5. STOP 1 MINUTE BEFORE POSTING

   Take a minute to read through that post and review that photo before posting and ask yourself what it says about you, are you compromised in anyway, does the photo speak well of you. Remember, once you click that post button it is gone.

6. WATCH YOUR TIMELINE AND TAGS

   You also need to watch what others are posting on your timeline and photos you are tagged in. Do not hesitate to remove them if they are not in line with who you are. You should also block the person from posting on your timeline, why not even unfriend the person? DON'T BLINK.

7  DO NOT LEAVE YOUR COMPUTER UNATTENDED.

   Do not leave your computer on with your Facebook account still open, you should either lock your computer or log out of Facebook if you have to leave. Anyone can post anything as you if left unattended.

8. PROTECT YOUR PASSWORD

   Do not use a public computer to log in to your Facebook profile, if you do be sure to log out before leaving. You should also not use same password anywhere else online and be sure to add numbers and symbols e.g. @#$ to your password.