5 Facebook Security Settings You Need to Update

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg says the company is sympathetic to Apple as it battles the FBI — even if Zuckerberg admits the company is more likely to help the government if it were asked to crack into a user’s information. But really how much competition is there between an encrypted iPhone and a Facebook account? That 160,000 Facebook accounts are hacked every day without government help, not much.

It’s never a bad time to make sure your Facebook account, no matter how irrelevant you say the platform has become, is locked up. Here are a few things you can do to ensure your social media security.

Enable Login Approvals

Sure, this is basic, but a lot of you aren’t doing it. If someone does try to break in, this should slow them down. Just go to security settings, and click on the button to enable a security code as an extra line of defense when someone tries logging in halfway across the world.

Now, you might be thinking, “Of course I know how to enable approvals,” but even Zuckerberg isn’t immune to being hacked. Even the dude who was a self-made multibillionaire by the time he was 26 was found vulnerable:

Click on Login Notifications

Will you get a notification if the authorities are snooping around your timeline? Maybe you will, but maybe you won’t. Facebook’s own terms are vague:

Our policy is to notify people who use our service of requests for their information prior to disclosure …

That’s clear right? Not quite:

… unless we are prohibited by law from doing so or in exceptional circumstances, such as child exploitation cases, emergencies or when notice would be counterproductive.

So Facebook will let you know, except when it won’t. The terms go on:

We will provide delayed notice upon expiration of a specific non-disclosure period in a court order and where we have a good faith belief that exceptional circumstances no longer exist and we are not otherwise prohibited by law from doing so. Law enforcement officials who believe that notification would jeopardize an investigation should obtain an appropriate court order or other appropriate process establishing that notice is prohibited. If your data request draws attention to an ongoing violation of our terms of use, we will take action to prevent further abuse, including actions that may notify the user that we are aware of their misconduct.

There’s a good chance Facebook will sell you out, alleged criminals. Click this little button under security settings and at least get a notification when a new browser is scrolling through your digital unmentionables.

Keep An Eye on Where You’ve Logged In

Sometimes it’s the simplest things we forget to do. On the same security settings page, you can read a list of all the locations you’ve recently logged on. If you live in Chicago and you see Arlington, Virginia, you’ve got a problem.

Name a Legacy Contact

If you’re abducted by aliens, or meet an untimely end, you need someone you can trust to delete your sensitive material. There is no greater honor you can bestow upon a friend than letting them know you trust them as the puppet master behind your digital ghost.

Deactivate Your Account

The nuclear option is the best option. Because, sometimes, this shit is ruining your life.