A Guide to Privacy SettingsWhat is Facebook?Facebook is a social networking website. This means that people use Facebook to connect to other people known as friends. While it is very popular (the most

popular website in the world according to Google), it is also important to know how to protect yourself while using it. This guide will take you through some of

Facebookʼs settings and how to protect yourself a little better.

General Safety MeasuresTaking some basic steps before diving into Facebookʼs settings can really make a difference when dealing with safety issues.

•Your password - Donʼt give it out to anyone and change it regularly.

•Think before you post - Once you post something online, others can get it,

copy, distribute it to whomever they chose. Be careful and think before you post a comment, picture, or video. Your online reputation is at stake.

•Only accept friend invitations by people you know - When you accept someone as a friend, they have access to a lot of your information. While it

may seem harmless fun, you never know who is on the other end and what their motives are.

•Donʼt click on unusual links - If you receive a strange or unusual link (even if it is from a friend) donʼt click on it unless you are 100% sure it is safe.

•Report abuse - If you are being abused online you need to report it. Report it to Facebook, your parents, and the school. Facebook should be a fun, safe

place. for everyone.

Edit your profileA good place to start is your profile. In your profile there is information that Facebook requires (like birthdate and gender). However, you can decide if people see that information or not. Showing your birthday can open yourself up to online predators. The less of your personal information is out there, the better off you are.

We recommend that you donʼt show your birthday or if you are interested in men or women.

Accessing your privacy settingsIt is easy to access your privacy settings. Once on your Facebook go to the top right hand

corner (it may be in another place depending on your profile) and select account -> Privacy

Settings

Your privacy settingsThese settings help allow you to control who sees what on your Facebook page.

Connecting on Facebook settingsThis is the first option near the top of the Privacy Settings Page. In here you can change

settings for who can send you messages, see your friend lists, see where your hometown is

and your likes. We recommend the “Friends Only” at first to be extra careful. This means that

only people you have accepted as “Friends” will be able to see this information.

Pre-made privacy settings vs. Customize settingsIt is easy to click the Friends Only and be done with it, but we recommend digging a little

deeper into these settings. Letʼs click on Customize settings and see what is there.

Customize settingsIt is easy to click the Friends Only and be done with it, but we recommend digging a little

deeper into these settings. Letʼs click on Customize settings and see what is there.

First we have “Things I share”. It is pretty straight forward but one thing that Facebook and

many online safety groups recommend is to not share your birthdate with anyone. Here is how to

To the right of Birthday there is a drop down menu. Select it and chose Customize. It will

take you to another window. Here you can select Only Me.

Information only YOU should seeYour birthdate is not the only piece of information that only you should see. I have included a list and where you can find it. To ensure your safety please change these settings so you are the only one who can see it.

• Mobile phone

• Other Phone

• Address

• IM (instant message) screen name

• Your e-mail address

This is information that should be available only to your closest friends or people you really trust.

Things others can shareOne great way Facebook lets us stay in touch is through comments on posts and status

updates. You actually have control of who can see, comment, or post on your Facebook page.

Again, take a look at these settings and customize them to your comfort level. Remember once someone has a picture, video, comment that you have allowed them to see, there is no way to get it back.

Abuse on FacebookThe reason why this guide is being made is to help inform you on how to protect yourself. Unfortunately, some people can abuse others on Facebook. When that happens you have some options. Report AbuseFacebook takes reports of abuse seriously. If someone has posted a comment, picture, video of you that is abusive, you can report that person. To report a person find this on their profile page. When you click it a new box will appear. Select what you want to do. If it is abuse, Facebook recommends that you block them as well. Donʼt worry about the report, the person will not know they have been reported.

Report a Photo/VideoTo report a photo/video. The process is the same. Find the picture and there is a report option. Again, the person will not know that it has been reported or by who.

It will take time for results though. Facebook receive over 2 million reports of abuse every week.

Hacked accountsIf you, or your friends account gets hacked, you have some options. First, if you can login, do

so. Then head to the Help Center, it is under Account in the top right hand corner.

Once there, just typed “hacked” in the search bar. This is the fastest way to get where you need to go.

Once there, just typed “hacked” in the search bar. This is the fastest way to get where you need to go.

This will window will appear. Click Secure David’s Account. This will temporarily disable the

account and force you to go through a series of security questions in order to reset your password and restore your account.

If you cannot access your account

If you cannot access your account, have someone you trust log in, go to the Help Center and

follow the steps mentioned earlier. Select My Friend’s Account. Fill out information in this new

window. When you submit, Facebook will send you an e-mail to confirm and they will then investigate.

Annoted Website List

Website Address Description

www.athinline.org

This is MTVʼs online campaign to be aware of and to help prevent and stop abuse from happening through mobile phones or social networking.

They deal with difficult issues such as sexting, identifying the difference between a joke and abuse, and much more.

www.beatbullying.org/

This website is based in the UK and they focus on working and empowering young men and women against the sometimes devastating effects of bullying.

www.ceop.police.uk

Another UK group that is dedicated to eradicating sexual child abuse in the UK.

They actively promote online safety as means to help prevent such abuse

childnet-int.org/An international group that works with other organizations from around the world to make the web a safer place for children to surf.

www.commonsensemedia.org/A website that educates children and adults alike to consume media sensibly and responsibly.

www.connectsafely.org/

This website not only deals with responsible, safe, and smart use of scoial networking. They also deal with using other Web 2.0 features safely as well.

www.cyberbullying.us/This site is dedicated to keeping up to date information concerning cyberbullying and how to deal with it.

Website Address Description

www.fosi.org

FOSIʼs goal is to help educate families about the best online practices to ensure safety and security on the web.

www.netsmartz.org

NetSmartz Workshop is a website affiliated with the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children. Their goal is to educate children how to recognize internet threats. Empower children how to prevent themselves from being exploited, and to engage children and parents in meaningful conversation about on and off line risks

www.onguardonline.gov

This website gives tips from the US Federal government and industry leaders to help you keep up your guard against internet fraud, securing your personal information and protecting your personal information.

clickcleverclicksafe.direct.gov.uk

Click Clever Click Safe is an initiative by the UK Council for Child Internet Safety. They have teamed up with charities, industry leaders, and the UK government to help educate and keep the Internet a safe place for children

www.webwisekids.org/A program that has been around more than ten years to help educate children to be the first line of defenses while using the web.

wiredsafety.org/

A huge amount of information suitable for all ages from early web users to tech savvy teens. They offer other websites such as wiredkids.org, teenangels.org, and stopcyberbullying.org