I’m sure that by now you’ve probably heard about Facebook’s new Places “feature”. Once again, though, your privacy settings have been modified, probably without you even knowing about it. And because of the default privacy settings (or lack thereof), your “frenemies” can have a field day with your profile.
An angry “friend”, for example, can broadcast to everyone (including your boss) that you are in a coffee shop, competitor’s office, or local bar – even if you are sitting in your cubicle working. Even if you haven’t agreed to use Facebook’s location service. And even if you are not logged in to Facebook.
The new Places tool was released last week, and is already integrated into the standard Facebook mobile application. Places does offers users quite a bit of control over when they tell others where they are. Users must actively check-in – as opposed to being automatically checked in – as they move around.
But here’s the problem: By default, friends can “check you in” whenever they want, and wherever they happen to be. While checked-in friends don’t appear in the Places tool without their approval, the check-ins are announced to the world on the friend’s wall through status updates. Further, those updates are controlled by your friend’s privacy policies, not yours.
In other words, Facebook’s tool makes violating your friends’ privacy easy.
So, not interested in having your friends shout out where you may or may not be? Here’s how to take back control of this “feature”:
1. Select “Account”, then “Privacy Settings”
2. Click on “Customize Settings” at the bottom
3. Scroll down to “Things Others Share”
4. Find “Friends can check me in to Places” and select “Disabled”
If you’re not interested in using Places at all, then follow these steps:
1. Select “Account”, then “Privacy Settings”
2. Click on “Customize Settings” at the bottom
3. Scroll down to “Things I Share”
4. Find “Places I check in to” and select “Custom”
5. The form will show “Make this visible to: These people:” and select “Only Me”
6. Make sure none of your networks are selected
7. Click on “Save Settings”
While you’re at it, take a good look at what other information you might be sharing that could put you at risk for identity theft. For example, instead of sharing your full birthdate, just share your month and day. Identity thieves just LOVE it when you hand over your name and full date of birth (it makes their job easier…).
