Protect Your Data: Facebook Privacy Settings to Change Right Now

Lucas NolanDecember 26, 2021

Facebook stores vast amounts of information on its users, here are some privacy settings to check in order to ensure that Mark Zuckerberg’s social media giant is tracking you as little as possible.

CNET reports that while Facebook has attempted to rebrand as Meta, Mark Zuckerberg’s company is still the same outfit under the hood — collecting and storing vast amounts of data on its users. However, there are options and settings you can change in order to limit just how much data Facebook collects. Here are just a few of the options you should check today:

Use Two-Factor Authentication:

Enabling two-factor authentication can greatly improve the security of your account. While Facebook collecting your data is a cause for concern, someone else accessing your account is an even bigger one.

Go to the Facebook account Security page and update your password, make sure it’s not a password that you use on other websites. Then, select “Use two-factor authentication,” this will begin the setup process that will mean when you log into Facebook in the future, Facebook will text a randomly generated code to your mobile device for you to input in order to log in.

Review Which Apps Have Access to Your Account:
It’s quite easy to automatically give certain apps access to your Facebook account without thinking about it, especially when first installing apps, but this could unwittingly be sharing personal details and permissions you don’t want others to have. Many apps also end up abandoned by developers and become targets for hackers who could use them to gain access to your account.

Visit Facebook’s Apps and Websites Page to view which apps currently have access to your account and revoke their access if needed.

Delete Location History on Your Phone:
Finally, moving onto mobile devices, it’s probably a good idea to delete the location history that Facebook stores as it tracks your every movement. Delete your location history at this page here.

But it’s also advisable to completely disable location tracking on your mobile device. CNET outlines how to do this, writing:

On an Android phone, open the Facebook app and then tap on the three-line icon. Under Settings & Privacy select Privacy Shortcuts followed by Manage your location settings on the Privacy card. Next, select Location History > View your Location History and enter your account password when asked. Finally, tap on the three-dot icon in the top-right corner and select Delete all Location History.

The process is similar on an iPhone. Open the Facebook app and tap on the three-line icon, then Settings & Privacy then select Privacy Shortcuts followed by Manage your location settings on the Privacy card. Select Location History > View your Location History and enter your account password when asked. Finally, tap on the three-dot icon in the top-right corner and select Delete all Location History.