Facebook’s still growing in popularity every year. In fact, it now has almost as many users as there are people living in China!
You’d think such a popular program would be well-loved, but it still has quite the reputation problem, mostly stemming from its apparent lack of respect for individual privacy.
It makes sense: Their entire business model is making money off your data.
Facebook, just like any other “free” service, does have a cost, just not in dollars. In order to use their service, you allow them to use your private data.
And they’ve made a lot of money selling it: hundreds of millions of dollars each year. It’s only gone up by billions every year since they went public in 2012.
Facebook’s revenue comes from selling highly-targeted advertising directed at its users. They can charge a hefty fee to display ads because the advertisers can narrow down their target audience by age, gender, location, friends, likes and dislikes, and every other detail of your life you’ve told them about.
But though we may all want to swear off Facebook forever, it does have its uses. Most of your friends and family are probably all on it. Facebook makes it so easy to see what they’re up to and keep in touch, even from hundreds of thousands of miles away. If you hadn’t “friended” them on Facebook, you might’ve never found out about your cousin’s new job or your high school buddy’s new baby.
For many of us, the pros outweigh the cons. We’re willing to give up a bit of personal data in exchange for making our lives a bit more convenient.
But is there a compromise? Can you keep in touch with friends and family without Facebook and the world knowing every detail of your life?
Try to navigate through the labyrinth of Facebook privacy settings, and you get the impression they don’t want to make it easy for you. Check out the guide below on how you can keep your data safe.
Infographic Sources:
1. They Loved Your G.P.A. Then They Saw Your Tweets
2. Let’s talk
3. Protect your privacy
4. Sidejacking, Firesheep, and AOSSL
5. Tips for Using Public Wi-Fi Networks
6. 5 Easy Steps to Stay Safe (and Private!) on Facebook
7. Facebook Privacy
8. How old do you have to be to sign up for Facebook?
9. Facebook users unwittingly revealing intimate secrets, study finds
10. The dangers of posting photos online
11. Facebook Privacy Tips
12. Basic Privacy Settings & Tools
13. How do I set the audience when I’m using an older version of Facebook for mobile that doesn’t have an audience selector?
14. How do I control what is shared by apps my friends use?
15. How do I permanently delete my account?
16. Delete Account
17. How do I deactivate my account?
18. How do I block someone?
19. Identity theft reportedly rampant on Facebook, protect yourself
20. How do I create a new list to organize my friends?
21. Five Hidden Dangers of Facebook
22. How Social Media Networks Facilitate Identity Theft and Fraud
23. Social media-related crime reports up 780% in four years
1. They Loved Your G.P.A. Then They Saw Your Tweets
2. Let’s talk
3. Protect your privacy
4. Sidejacking, Firesheep, and AOSSL
5. Tips for Using Public Wi-Fi Networks
6. 5 Easy Steps to Stay Safe (and Private!) on Facebook
7. Facebook Privacy
8. How old do you have to be to sign up for Facebook?
9. Facebook users unwittingly revealing intimate secrets, study finds
10. The dangers of posting photos online
11. Facebook Privacy Tips
12. Basic Privacy Settings & Tools
13. How do I set the audience when I’m using an older version of Facebook for mobile that doesn’t have an audience selector?
14. How do I control what is shared by apps my friends use?
15. How do I permanently delete my account?
16. Delete Account
17. How do I deactivate my account?
18. How do I block someone?
19. Identity theft reportedly rampant on Facebook, protect yourself
20. How do I create a new list to organize my friends?
21. Five Hidden Dangers of Facebook
22. How Social Media Networks Facilitate Identity Theft and Fraud
23. Social media-related crime reports up 780% in four years
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