Safety in Facebook....the neglected but important part

Facebook has some inbuilt feature which goes a long way in protecting ones privacy and ensuring safety. Well, not everyone is aware of all these services by Facebook and here I am to write a post on all those services. If you don’t know about ‘secure browsing in Facebook’ and/or if you are really concerned about your privacy and safety in Facebook then read on. . .

To avail all these features it is always recommended that you register you personal cell phone with Facebook.

1. Secure browsing using HTTPS: Facebook allows its user to switch from Hyper Text Transfer Protocol (HTTP) to Hyper Text Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS). HTTPS is secure mode of browsing then HTTP.

If your browser address bar shows that you are in http://www.facebook.com/home.php    then it means that the connection between the Facebook server and your computer is unsecured.

To switch to HTTPS, Click ‘Accounts’ then ‘Account Settings’ on you Facebook homepage. Under the ‘Account Setting’ page click ‘Security’ and enable ‘Secure Browsing’.

      

            Click on the above image to get an enlarged view

A line from the famous Wikipedia explains:

HTTP is unsecured and is subject to man-in-the-middle and eavesdropping attacks, which can let attackers gain access to website accounts and sensitive information. HTTPS is designed to withstand such attacks and is considered secure against such attacks.

 

The above image shows a secure HTTPS connection to Facebook.Click on image to enlarge

2. One-Time Password: This feature can be very helpful at times. Suppose you are opening your Facebook homepage in a public computer, say in Cyber Café or in School or Office. It is a smart option not to input your normal password to prevent password tracker, key loggers etc. to open your profile, better it would be if you ask Facebook for a special password to open your page. Simply send a SMS as ‘otp’ (without quotes) to 32655 from your registered mobile number. Your will soon receive a special password which remains active for only 20 minutes and can be used only once.

3. Login Approvals: Another social service by the social giant. You can configure login approvals and I recommend that you configure it NOW. This ensures that other unrecognized devices don’t login to your profile. Suppose you log in to Facebook from your own cellphone or your personal computer or both then you can keep these two devices under recognized devices. If ever you log in to Facebook with a different device other then these two devices then you will be asked to enter a access code which will be sent to your phone via sms. This is to ensure that the log in attempt is not fake or a jailbreak.

To go to recognized devices, Click ‘Accounts’ >> ‘Account Setting’>> Under Account Setting Page click ‘Security’ and add any recognized devices under ‘Recognized Devices’.

EXTRAS

Friend Listing In Facebook: Ever if you wanted to chat in Facebook but wished one of those irritating friend stayed away from your chat box. Or if you ever wanted to share something only with friends you trust most and not your cousin or teachers. Well, that’s always been possible in Facebook, but it is unlike Google+ where these feature is easy as a cup of tea.

You can Create LIST in Facebook. On your Facebook Homepage, click on ‘Accounts’, then click ‘Edit Friends’. Here you can see ‘Create a List’

You can create list according to your convenience, for example, create a list named ‘Teachers’ and add all your teachers in that list. Similarly create a list named ‘Cousin and Family’ and add your entire cousin in that list.

Now whenever you are online, you can customize to which list you would like to show yourself online. Or, if you share something, you can customize to which list your sharing would be visible too.

 The green circle shows the 6 lists I created. Click the image to enlarge

Sharing Responsibly. Click on 'Customize' to make your sharing visible to only those people you want Click on image to enlarge

Under Chat tab. Click 'Limit Availability' to chat with only those people you want. And make yourself invisible to others.

Clicking 'Limit Availability' pops up the above window. Here you can see the list you created and become online and offline for respective lists.

Also read my earlier article to be secure over Social Network.
Keep your Social Networking Profile Safe
 To know more on Facebook Security visit Facebook's official Security Center at 

www.facebook.com/help/safety/