How to Keep Your Facebook Secure

Everyone likes to be social; and with a wide variety of social networking sites from which to choose, it is very easy to connect with friends, make other cyber connections, and share the exciting  (or not) things going on in our lives. Despite the enjoyment some get from the sharing of personal information,  its important to remember that we all need to protect our privacy. Here are some simple tips to make sure that your Facebook account is as secure as possible. Please keep in mind that these suggestions may not be plausible for everyone depending on your reasons for using the social networking sites. For more information visit us at www.conroyassociates.com and check out www.hetheringtongroup.com.

About Facebook Apps
Do not login to or link third-party sites (e.g. Twitter, Bing, LinkedIn) using your Facebook account. “Facebook Connect” shares your information, and your friends’ information, with third party sites that may aggregate and misuse personal infor- mation.
Also, use as few apps as possible. Apps such as Farmville access and share your personal data.
Edit your profile by changing all the
options to Only Me (most secure) or Friends On 

Editing Your Privacy Settings
1) ControlYourDefaultPrivacy–Change to Friends Only 
2) HowYouConnect
a. Who can look you up using your e-mail or phone number? - Friends
b. Who can look you up using the email address or phone number you provided? - Friends
c. Who can send you friend requests? - Friends of Friends
d. Who can send you Facebook messages? - Friends 
3) TimelineandTagging
a. Who can post on your Timeline? - Friends
b. Who can see what others post on you timeline? -Friends
c. Review posts friends tag you in before they appear on your timeline- On
d. Who can see posts you've been tagged in on your timeline?- Friends

e. Review tags friends add to your own posts on Facebook - On
f. Who sees tag suggestions when photos that look like you are uploaded? – Friends
4) Ads, Apps and Websites
a. Apps you use – Limit use of Apps
b. How people bring your info to apps they use – Uncheck all boxes
c. Instant personalization – Disable Personalization
d. Public Search – Disable Public Search
e. Ads >subpages>Ads shown by third parties – No one 
f. Ads >subpages>Ads and friends – No one
5) Limit the Audience for Past Posts – Limit the Old Posts to Friends Only

6) Blocked People and Apps–Here you can block certain people, events and game invites. 

P.S. If you’ve had enough fun
To deactivate your Facebook account, go to Account Settings and select Security. Click on the link 'Deactivate your account'.
To reactivate your account log in to Facebook with your email address and password.
To delete your Facebook account, go to Help Center by clicking the 'Help' link from the account menu. Type Delete into the search box. Select “How do I permanently delete my account?” then scroll down to submit your request here. Verify that you want to delete your account. Click Submit. Facebook will remove your data after 14 days post security check.