facebook messenger privacy settings 2018

Facebook Messenger Privacy Settings in 2018: A Guide to Protecting Your Personal Information

In today's age of social media saturation, it has become increasingly important for us to take control over the information we share with others online. Facebook is no exception - as one of the most widely used social networking platforms globally, its messaging service alone boasts an impressive user base in excess of 1 billion people worldwide.

While this level of connectivity comes hand-in-hand with numerous benefits such as staying connected with friends and family across geographical distances, it also brings along some significant risks when it comes to our personal privacy. In light of these concerns, Facebook has recently introduced several new features designed specifically aimed at helping users better manage their data security settings within both the main Facebook app itself and its corresponding Messenger service.

In this article we will be taking a closer look at each of these new features in more detail so that you can make informed decisions about who sees what on your profile - whether it's just close friends or complete strangers alike!

Why Privacy Matters

Before diving into specific settings, let’s quickly cover why privacy matters when using social media platforms like Facebook. In today’s connected world, a single slip-up online can have far-reaching consequences for our personal and professional lives.

From employers discovering embarrassing photos from college days to stalkers tracking down our physical whereabouts through geolocation data - there are countless reasons why we need robust tools at our disposal to protect ourselves while still being able to enjoy all the benefits that social media has to offer without sacrificing too much in terms of privacy, naturally speaking!

The Basics: Default Facebook Privacy Settings

When you first sign up for a new Facebook account, your profile is set to public by default. This means anyone can see:

• Your name

• Profile photo (unless you've uploaded one with specific permissions)

• Work and school networks you're part of (even if they’re private groups!)

And - as an added bonus! - all the pages you’ve liked or followed!

While this level of visibility might be fine for casual socializing, it's probably not ideal when looking to keep certain aspects of your life private. Fortunately enough though; Facebook does provide some basic controls over these settings so let’s take a quick tour:

1. Hiding Your Friends List

To prevent others from seeing who you’re friends with on Facebook (which can be particularly useful if you don't want potential employers or exes to know about certain relationships), follow these steps:

- Log into your account and go to Settings > Account & Login.

- Scroll down until you see “Who Can See Your Friends?”

- Click the drop-down menu beside it and select either 'Friends' (only people who are already friends with both of us will be able to view this info) or 'Only Me'.

2. Hiding Personal Info from your Profile Bio

If there's specific personal information you'd rather keep hidden even from close friends, here’s how:

- Log into Facebook and head over to Settings > Account & Login.

- Scroll down until you see “Who Can See Your Information?”

3. Blocking Users on Facebook (and Unfollowing Pages)

Sometimes, despite our best efforts to limit who we're connected with online, unwanted people still manage to find their way onto our friend lists or follow us back! Here’s how to deal:

- Click the three dots next to that pesky person's name.

- Select “Unfriend” from the menu (or 'Report As Spam' if they won't leave you alone).

As for unfollowing pages and groups, simply click on their cover photo > More options (three little grey dots) > Unfollow.

Advanced Facebook Messenger Privacy Settings

While the above steps provide a solid foundation for protecting your basic privacy settings across both main Facebook and its corresponding messaging service, there are several more advanced features you can enable to further secure your data:

1. End-to-End Encryption

One of the most significant recent additions to Facebook's suite of security tools is end-to-end encryption (E2EE). In simple terms, this means that any messages sent or received through Messenger using E2EE will be scrambled at the point they leave your device and can only be unscrambled by the intended recipient - not even Facebook itself!

To enable E2EE for one-on-one conversations:

1. Open up Messenger on either Android or iOS.

2. Go to Settings > Account & Security.

3. Scroll down until you see “Use End-to-End Encryption” and toggle the switch next to it ON.

Note that enabling E2EE will automatically opt-in all existing one-on-one conversations in your chat history for end-to-end encryption - so make sure everyone involved has also enabled this feature before proceeding!

2. Customizing Individual Post Privacy

Facebook Messenger allows you to set specific privacy settings on a per-post basis, meaning you can choose who sees each individual message or photo:

1. Open up the conversation thread where you want to change the post's visibility.

2. Tap (Android) or long press and tap the three dots next to the pen icon at the top right corner of your screen (iOS).

3. Select “Who Can See This Post?” from the menu that appears.

From here, select one of four options:

* Friends

* Only Me

* Public

To take things a step further still - especially if you're concerned about sensitive information like banking details or addresses being shared accidentally via Messenger - consider enabling 'Send As 'Your Name'' when sending messages. This feature will replace your actual name with a random placeholder in the recipient's chat window, adding an extra layer of anonymity to your online interactions.

In conclusion, while Facebook's default privacy settings may not be as restrictive as some users might like, there are plenty of ways you can still maintain control over what information is shared about yourself - both within main Facebook itself and its corresponding Messenger service. By following the simple steps outlined above and taking advantage of advanced features such as end-to-end encryption and customizing individual post privacy settings, you can rest assured that your personal data remains safe from prying eyes while still being able to enjoy all the benefits that social media has to offer.

So next time someone asks why their Facebook profile is suddenly looking rather bare-bones compared to yours - now you know exactly how easy it was for them to lock down those pesky privacy settings!

Facebook messenger privacy settings 2018