Just How Safe Is Facebook? An Honest Take

To say that Facebook has had a rough go of things as of late is an understatement. Between Mark Zuckerburg’s awkward testimony in front of Congress a recent data breach exposing the personal information of 419 million users, people are scratching their heads and asking “How safe is Facebook?”

Somehow, the social media juggernaut is still alive and very much kicking. But is now the time to jump off of Facebook for good? Keep reading to find out.

How Safe Is Facebook?

Let’s jump right into it. How safe is Facebook? Not very, to say the least.

To get a better sense of Facebook’s security struggles, let’s look at a few recent events.

2016 US Election

Perhaps the most egregious example of Facebook’s lack of security came in late 2016 when 470 fake accounts linked to Russia took dozens of our political ads in an attempt to influence the election. To make matters worse, the information in many of these ads was flat-out false or intended to stoke political rage.

Investigations into Russia’s exact role in the election are still underway. However, political leaders on both sides of the aisle agree that Russia undoubtedly changed the outcome of the election.

A History of Breaches

Facebook’s sketchy security dealings date back a lot further than 2016, though.

In 2015, for instance, it was discovered that Facebook was still providing third-party firms with user information despite its insistence that it would stop doing so.

Before that, Facebook landed in hot water with the FTC over refusing to allow users to opt-out of data sharing. Many users weren’t even aware such data was collected.

Keeping Your Facebook Page Safe

While the brunt of Facebook’s security issues come from the company itself, there are a few things you can do to keep your page extra safe. Check out these tips to learn more.

Enable Two-Factor Authentication

Not only can criminals access your information, but they may be able to access your page, as well. For that reason, you’ll want to enable two-factor authentication.

Whenever Facebook notices a log-in from a new device, they’ll send a unique code to your phone. This can make recovering your account a lot easier if you do get hacked.

Adjust Privacy Settings

Not happy with everything Facebook shares about you? While you can’t opt-out of everything, you can control what information is public.

Head to your account settings and hide your email address, phone number, birthday, and more. All of this info is commonly used in identity theft.

Be Careful When Logging on in Public

Restaurants, coffee shops, and libraries are great places to access free WiFi.

But since those networks aren’t always secured, someone can easily track your activity. For that reason, we suggest logging onto Facebook as little as possible on public computers.

Final Thoughts

How safe is Facebook? Not that safe at all, as it turns out.

We’re not trying to knock Facebook. It’s still a fun way to catch up with your friends and find the latest adorable animal pictures. Just be careful about the data you share, your passwords, and where you log on.

And make sure to keep checking back with our blog for more info that can help you keep your information secure.