With over 2.8 billion active users, Facebook has become the most popular social media platform globally. However, along with its popularity come privacy concerns. In recent years, Facebook has faced numerous privacy scandals that have led to an increased awareness of the need to safeguard personal data. Fortunately, Facebook has implemented various privacy settings that enable users to control their data. Nevertheless, many of these settings remain underutilized.

Here are the Facebook privacy settings you should change now:

1. Restrict Who Can See Your Posts

By default, Facebook allows everyone to see your posts. This means that anyone (including non-friends) can view your photos, videos, updates, and comments. You can restrict this by modifying your privacy settings. Go to your “Privacy Settings and Tools” and select “Who can see my future posts?” You can set the visibility to “Friends,” “Friends except acquaintances,” or “Only me.”

2. Customize Your Profile Privacy

Your Facebook profile contains a lot of information about you, including your contact information, work history, and education. You can control who sees this information by customizing your Facebook profile privacy settings. Go to “Privacy Settings and Tools” and select “Who can see your profile?” You can choose to allow “Everyone,” “Friends of friends,” “Friends,” or “Only me.”

3. Turn Off Facial Recognition

Facebook uses facial recognition technology to suggest tags and group photos of you and your friends. However, this feature can be creepy and is a potential privacy risk. To disable facial recognition on Facebook, go to “Settings,” then “Face Recognition,” and turn off “Tag Suggestions” and “Face Recognition.”

4. Control Your Ad Preferences

Facebook’s ad platform utilizes your personal data to display personalized ads. You can provide feedback and control the type of ads you see by checking your ad preferences under “Settings,” then “Ads.” You can view and modify your interests, ad settings, and ad categories.

5. Limit Third-Party App Access

When you use Facebook to log in to other websites and apps, you’re granting them access to your Facebook data. These third-party apps can collect information about you and your friends, even if you’re not using them actively. To check which apps have access to your Facebook data, go to “Settings,” then “Apps and Websites.” You can customize which apps have access to your information or revoke access entirely.

In conclusion, Facebook’s privacy settings are customizable, allowing users to have greater control over their personal data. However, many users overlook these settings, making their data vulnerable. By modifying these settings, you can secure your data and have a more personalized Facebook experience. So take a moment and update your Facebook privacy settings now.