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Facebook: A Privacy Guide

Document Date: November 20, 2011

We use social networking sites, like Facebook, to share personal information about ourselves with the people in our lives whom we care about. But we expect to have control over who sees this information, and that we will be able to keep private content private.

Facebook has a mixed record when it comes to privacy controls and making sure that users understand how their privacy is affected when changes are made to its policies. The ACLU has pushed Facebook – and other social networking companies – to implement privacy controls that are easy to understand and give users real control over what content is shared with whom. The posts below address some recent Facebook privacy concerns and provide important tips on how to better protect your privacy online. Read on to learn more, and visit dotRights.org for a comprehensive look at the wide range of threats to your digital privacy – and what can be done to combat them.

About Those Facebook Privacy Settings…
So you’ve meticulously chosen your Facebook privacy settings so that only your closest friends can see the most personal information about you. No one else has access. Or so you think.

New Facebook Search Means It’s Time to Review Your Privacy Settings (Again)
Facebook’s new “Graph Search,” a tool to find content and data, could wind up making information about you far easier for your friends or just about anyone else to find

The Facebook/FTC Settlement Proposal: What’s New, What’s Not
The FTC settlement with Facebook is a significant step forward, but doesn’t fix all of the social network’s privacy problems. Here’s a quick rundown of the settlement, as it was proposed in October 2011.

The Social Network is Stalking You
Facebook’s “Like” button may be tracking which websites you visit – even if you’re not a Facebook member and never even click on the “Like” button!

ACLU Guide to New Facebook Privacy Controls
In August 2011, Facebook implemented new privacy controls that allow users more control – but only if you use them. This is our guide to the new controls and how you can set them up on your account.

Facebook Application Privacy Breach Exposed
Facebook has still not fixed its “app gap.” Applications you or your friends run give third party application developers access to your information and Facebook has not implemented the controls necessary to make sure personal information is only accessed by people and developers you trust.

Latest updates from the Blog of Rights!
The latest updates from our blog on Facebook and privacy!

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