With a userbase of over 2.38 billion active users, Facebook is one of the world’s biggest social media websites. Therefore it is so important to make the most of Facebook’s security settings.

Facebook can be great for connecting with old friends or staying in touch with your family. But it’s not all fun and games. Facebook is notorious for data breaches and lackluster security that can put your personal information into the wrong hands.

Want to stay safe? Make sure to keep reading as we explore how you can make the most of Facebook security settings.

Strengthen Your Password

A secure account starts with a strong password. While you’d think this would be obvious, evidence suggests otherwise. The most common passwords in the world include:

• 12345
• 123456
• password

As the article linked above notes, it takes mere seconds to hack accounts with easy passwords.

When creating your new password, make sure it includes a letter, a number, a special character, and at least one capitalization.

Change Your Profile Settings

You just used a Facebook Posts Template to show off your awesome workout progress. Next thing you know, some creep you’ve never met is messaging you and won’t leave you alone. How’d he even find your profile?

Well, if you don’t make your account private in the settings menu, anyone can access your profile.

Fortunately, disabling this is easy. Head to settings and click on the ‘Privacy’ tab. From here, you can choose who sees what content you post and how accessible your profile is.

Activate Two-Factor Authentication

Given the frequency of Facebook hacks and data breaches, two-factor authentication (2FA) can be a lifesaver.

In short, 2FA sends a notification containing a unique code to your phone or email address every time you log in from a new device. Even if a hacker has your password already, they won’t be able to access your account without that unique code!

If you spot unrecognized activity like a new log-in, change your password immediately for safe measure.

Clear ‘Off-Facebook Activity’

There’s been a lot of discussion about how Facebook tracks its users. What you might not know is that Facebook doesn’t stop tracking users when they leave the site or close the mobile app.

Instead, Facebook installs a piece of code known as a cookie in your browser. Cookies track your browsing history and send it back to whoever installed it.

Yes, this means that Facebook knows exactly what you’re doing on the Internet at all times. Creepy, right?

It gets worse. Facebook’s explanation makes it clear that you can’t opt-out of this creepy “feature”.

What you can do, however, is clear it out by following the steps at the link above.

Don’t stop there, though. Consider downloading a program like Facebook Container that blocks Facebook’s cookies from tracking you outside of your account. As a bonus, you’ll also see fewer annoying ads on Facebook!

Making the Most of Facebook Security Settings

As you can see, Facebook is quite invasive by default. But you can still enjoy the social site while keeping your privacy thanks to the Facebook security settings above.

For more information on cybersecurity, make sure to check back with our blog!