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You really need to change your Facebook Friends List Privacy Settings - There's an easier way to do it.
By Alan Zisman ©2025-01-25
Despite everything, I'm still on Facebook. And if you're reading this, I assume you are too.
Even though I spend too much time there, it frustrates me often - and it continues to turn a blind eye to default settings that encourage abuse. One that I've been grumbling about for a while is how users Friends Lists are set to be Public unless the user - you and me - actively go and change the setting.
That's a problem because it makes it easy for some random stranger to view everyone who's your Facebook friend. And since it's also easy for that random stranger to create a new account with the same name as yours (even using a copy of a real photo of you), they can then contact all of your Facebook friends pretending to be you.
This is happening far too often - last week, four (4!) of my Facebook friends posted saying that someone was pretending to be them and sending messages claiming to have a new Facebook account - and asking people to ignore any such messages.
These Facebook accounts haven't been hacked - no random stranger has taken over their account, locking them out. That happens, but rarely. (See my December 2024 post about that). But cloned Facebook accounts happen frequently - partly because it's so easily done (no complicated hacking skills needed) and partly because far too many of us make it possible by leaving out Friends Lists visible.
Even if it's easily done, you may wonder why the random strangers bother - the way this plays out, typically, is that after getting some of your Facebook Friends to friend them, thinking they're friending you, the cloner will send out messages (remember, they're pretending to be you) claiming that they were travelling, lost their wallet, cash and credit cards - could you help by sending them some money? Enough of us are helpful enough to fall for this scam to make it worthwhile.
If you're Facebook account has been cloned like that, changing your Facebook password (while not a bad thing to do) makes no difference. Two thingsdo make a difference:
I used to suggest that Facebook users wanting to change their Friends List privacy settings to their Facebook settings menu - and that works, but it's a wander through an ever-changing maze to get to the right place. Recently, I learned of an easier way. Here's how - assuming you're accessing Facebook using a web browser (Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Mozilla Firefox, etc etc etc) on a desktop or laptop computer (Windows, Mac, Chromebook, etc). If you're accessing Facebook using an app on an iPhone, iPad, or Android device, the details will be different - if you're getting stymied doing this, let me know - and I'll send you the details)..
Older blog postings....
You really need to change your Facebook Friends List Privacy Settings - There's an easier way to do it.
By Alan Zisman ©2025-01-25
Despite everything, I'm still on Facebook. And if you're reading this, I assume you are too.
Even though I spend too much time there, it frustrates me often - and it continues to turn a blind eye to default settings that encourage abuse. One that I've been grumbling about for a while is how users Friends Lists are set to be Public unless the user - you and me - actively go and change the setting.
That's a problem because it makes it easy for some random stranger to view everyone who's your Facebook friend. And since it's also easy for that random stranger to create a new account with the same name as yours (even using a copy of a real photo of you), they can then contact all of your Facebook friends pretending to be you.
This is happening far too often - last week, four (4!) of my Facebook friends posted saying that someone was pretending to be them and sending messages claiming to have a new Facebook account - and asking people to ignore any such messages.
These Facebook accounts haven't been hacked - no random stranger has taken over their account, locking them out. That happens, but rarely. (See my December 2024 post about that). But cloned Facebook accounts happen frequently - partly because it's so easily done (no complicated hacking skills needed) and partly because far too many of us make it possible by leaving out Friends Lists visible.
Even if it's easily done, you may wonder why the random strangers bother - the way this plays out, typically, is that after getting some of your Facebook Friends to friend them, thinking they're friending you, the cloner will send out messages (remember, they're pretending to be you) claiming that they were travelling, lost their wallet, cash and credit cards - could you help by sending them some money? Enough of us are helpful enough to fall for this scam to make it worthwhile.
If you're Facebook account has been cloned like that, changing your Facebook password (while not a bad thing to do) makes no difference. Two thingsdo make a difference:
- Set your Friends List private - as I'll explain below - this keeps the cloner from seeing who to contact pretending to be you.
- If you know one of your Facebook Friends has been contacted by the cloner, get them to report the cloner's account to Facebook. Or you can do it. Facebook generally (though not always) responds to these reports quickly and efficienty, shutting down the faux-you.
I used to suggest that Facebook users wanting to change their Friends List privacy settings to their Facebook settings menu - and that works, but it's a wander through an ever-changing maze to get to the right place. Recently, I learned of an easier way. Here's how - assuming you're accessing Facebook using a web browser (Google Chrome, Apple Safari, Mozilla Firefox, etc etc etc) on a desktop or laptop computer (Windows, Mac, Chromebook, etc). If you're accessing Facebook using an app on an iPhone, iPad, or Android device, the details will be different - if you're getting stymied doing this, let me know - and I'll send you the details)..
- Go to Facebook.com in your web browser - log into Facebook
if this hasn't happened automatically. At the top of the browser
window, you'll see something like this:
- See the little picture of you in a circle on the right-hand
end? (Or a generic cartoon if you haven't set a picture). Click it and
a menu drops down, with the top item showing the picture (again) and
your Facebook account name. Click that and you'll be sent to your
Facebook account home screen - not your Newsfeed where you normally are
shown the most recent posts. You'll see your wide Cover photo (if
you've set one), and below that a larger view of your photo in a
circle, your name, some info (how many Friends you have) and more.
Here's part of mine:
- Note that below your photo and name there is a list of various pages: Posts About Friends Photos etc. Click on Friends and you'll see:
- Beside Invite Friends
you'll see a grey box with three dots inside it - shorthand for 'more
options'. Click anywhere in the grey box and you'll get aa single
option: Edit Privacy. Click that to see:
- The default setting for the Friends List is Public.
Anyone can go to your Facebook home page and with a few clicks see the
full list of your Friends - and by click on someone's name or picture
be able to send them a Facebook Message. That's how the faux-you scams
get started. If you click on the rectangle with the word Public you get these options:
- Currently, it's set to the default(Public) - that's very bad! I used to think that the next option (Friends)
was a nice compromise between security while allowing the people you
know on Facebook to see who else you were Friending. I was wrong. Many
of us routinely accept Friend requests from strangers - or may be taken
in by the cloned account of someone you've previously Friended in
Facebook. In either case, you're vulnerable to having some random
stranger be able to view and message your Facebook Friends. Instead,
select the option Only me and click Done.
- Here's what's hiding below Only Me , only visible if you scroll down:
You're welcome to experiment with these or some of the other options earlier in the list - but I haven't seen any need to. Similarly, in theEdit Privacy box (shown above) you have additional options for Following and Followers that you can change - though I haven't seen the need - at least so far!
Editing the privacy setting for your Friends List is quick and easy - I'll bet you can do this in two minutes or less with these instructions. If you're a Facebook user, I'd urge you to check your privacy setting right now, even if you think you remember changing it previously. If it's not currently set to Only Me change it. You won't regret it.
Older blog postings....
| About This Blog... I've been writing about computers, software, Internet and the rest of technology since 1992, including a 17 year (1995-2012) stint as 'High Tech Office' columnist for Business in Vancouver. This blog includes thoughts on technology, society, and anything else that might interest me. Comments, emailed to alan@zisman.ca are welcome - and may be published in whole or part. You can follow me on Twitter or Google + for notice of new blog postings. |
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