Face Wipe The information you need to delete from your Facebook right now. While the likes of Instagram, Twitter and YouTube all act as platforms on which our exposure is high, it is Facebook that has attracted the most attention, after the platform wilfully and repeatedly breached data protection laws. The subsequent multi-billion dollar fine may have led Mark Zuckerberg to arrest his company’s careless approach to data integrity, but the bigger picture for everyday users was to question more closely what they share, and with who. Here are four quick fixes that will tighten up your online profile: Preferences Much of the data Facebook gathers from users is there so that they can be targeted for products and services linked to lifestyle choices. You can limit the information used by visiting the Ad Preferences page and, in turn, clicking Your Interests and Your Information tabs. This won’t reduce advertising you see, nor erase data already stored, though it will stop
specific targeting. Off-Facebook activity After two years of development, in 2020 the site finally launched a tool that ceased the sharing of Facebook data with thirdparty marketing firms and ad networks. This chain-breaker can be accessed through the Your Information page, and will immediately stop the site replicating your activity elsewhere. For instance, when you search for a pair of shoes elsewhere on the web, then immediately are bombarded with the same brand through the social network. App and mobile When you use Facebook on your mobile, it will track various things such as location, wi-fi network you are connected to and your location, and this is additional information you can ‘untick’ to a large extent, though never fully. Lifestyle While unconscious presentation of information through online habits is something most of us are keen to address, what we give out voluntarily is much more
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profound. Everything from birthdays to check-ins at locations, right through to fun quizzes that log our preferences (to football or Disney or the Amalfi Coast, or anything!), are all used to gather information. Likewise, when we enrich our profile with information about our friends, families and hobbies, we are potentially exposing our habits and preferences to everyone, so consider checking your basic Facebook settings – is your profile open just to friends, or to the entire community? Likewise, how relevant is it to list your kids’ birthdays or places of work? The bad news is that while if you decide you want a clean sweep entirely from Facebook, you can deactivate your account, the company owns What’s App and Instagram, so you have further privacy decisions to make!
