Facebook's Constant Tweaks: 5 Ways to Stay Up to Date
For Facebook users, the only constant is change: The social network tweaks its security and privacy settings and features all the time. Check out these five official Facebook groups that help keep you in the know.
CIO — When you disclose as much personal information as many of us do on Facebook, it's important to know when changes in privacy occur, when security updates go live and when new features roll out.
Take last week, for example. Fans of the "Twilight" movies fell prey to a scam that hijacked accounts and sent spam to unsuspecting friends. On Tuesday, some Facebook users reported suddenly receiving email notifications for settings they had turned off. This week, Facebook unveiled a new hub safety and security resources.
One way to stay in the know with the latest happenings on Facebook: Subscribe—i.e. "like"—the following five official Facebook pages. Once you do, Facebook itself will update you via an item on your News Feed on the latest virus circulating on the site, new updates to its platform and similar changes, helping to keep you safe and knowledgeable.
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What it is: Like the Facebook Security page to receive updates on how to protect your information both on and off Facebook.
What you'll find: The Facebook Security page has a number of useful security resources and tips for keeping your account safe. Among them: A "What to Do" tutorial that lists the steps to take in case your account or a friend's account has been taken over and used to send spam.
[Facebook Privacy: 10 Must-Know Security Settings]
Another section on the page, called Threats, details common scams you may run in to when using Facebook, how to recognize them and what to do. These topics include clickjacking; "Koobface;" spammy wall posts, inbox messages and chat messages; spammy groups and pages; fake notification emails and money-transferring scams.
The Facebook Security page also offers a set of set of security tips and a security quiz that Facebook users can take to judge how knowledgeable they are in protecting themselves online and their accounts.
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What it is: This page gives you information on controlling your sharing and serves as a community resource for gathering input and feedback on Facebook privacy.
What you'll find: Expect to see updates from this page highlighting tips on controlling your privacy, such as how to create group lists, and answering common privacy questions such as, "How much of my profile can a friend-of-a-friend see?"
The Facebook and Privacy page also has a comprehensive list of resources with links to more information. These include privacy, control and settings videos; privacy FAQs; information on using your privacy settings; privacy tips; and Facebook's privacy policy, principles and its Statement of Rights and Responsibilities.
[Want more tips, tricks and details on Facebook privacy? Check out CIO.com's Facebook Bible.]
