How to Set Your Facebook Privacy Settings

By C.G. Lynch

When it comes to privacy, Facebook learned from its mistakes with the Beacon advertising incident, which alarmed privacy advocates who complained the move automatically broadcast users' activities outside the site to other users. Facebook has since rolled out one of the most robust security systems for any social network, which allows users to control who sees what information about them with great specificity. The stakes are high: Facebook's future growth will depend on people feeling safe to share lots of information (about their personal and professional interests) with others. Take a look at Facebook's privacy features and how to set yours.

Getting to the Privacy Settings

After you log into Facebook with your e-mail address and password, scroll your mouse over to the top right side of the page where it says "settings" and hold the mouse over the "settings" button. On the new Facebook design, two options will drop down, "account settings" and "privacy settings" (highlighted in blue). Click on the latter.