subject: How To Secure Your Profile On Facebook [print this page] Many people who are aware of and concerned about identity theft and cyber-stalking would never dream of giving out their demographic information to strangers. Yet often these same people use Facebook, and will post demographic information to their profiles.
Even if you have set your privacy settings so your profile is only visible to friends, you should still check to make sure you've kept things as secure as you would like. By going to your Facebook page while logged out, you can see what the casual observer sees.
Your Birthday This is a big no-no as far as profile information. Second only to your social security number in terms of providing identity thieves with access, your birthday should be kept off of Facebook.
Giving a stranger your exact birthday gives them a great deal of information that they can then use to find out still more about you. Also, if you are the sort of person who uses familiar numbers in passwords and PINs, you may be giving someone enough information to crack passwords you use.
Your Current Job Be careful disclosing the name of your company or your position there. It's not necessary. You may feel like showing off if you have a great job but it is still not a good idea. If your workplace is publicly accessible and you list the company on your Facebook, a stalker can come to your workplace and stalk you.
If a stalker comes to your workplace, you may not even realize it. Some stalkers will tell you they are there, others will watch you quietly. Regardless, the entire creepy situation can be avoided by keeping your workplace to yourself.
Your Alma Mater Facebook uses the information about where you attended school to target ads to you more effectively. When Facebook was first developed, it was open only to college students. You could not get an account without a college email.
Leave off your school information. There is no reason to provide unnecessary demographic information to Facebook. Instead, keep it general, and use a non-affiliated (not work-related, not university-related) email on your account.
