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If you want to run Facebook but want to be privacy conscious (any more suggestions? - this is what I do): 1. Create a separate browser profile for accessing Fa

by nikcub 10y ago

If you want to run Facebook but want to be privacy conscious (any more suggestions? - this is what I do): 1. Create a separate browser profile for accessing Facebook 2. Run uBlock Origin 3. Don't install the mobile apps - use the mobile web interface 4. Turn your Facebook privacy settings up to 11 (the new max privacy settings are actually good/reasonable) - you can set it up so that you can't be found in search[0], can't be tagged in unwanted posts[4][5] 5. The cookie used to track you via the like buttons is called datr and is set on *.facebook.com if you want to block it in privoxy / squid etc. 6. If you access Facebook using the onion website[1] over Tor[2] they won't know your location or network info 7. Don't like anything and fill in as little information as possible 8. Don't add people you don't know 9. Review apps that have permission to access your profile and info regularly[3] [0] https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=privacy&section=search&view https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=privacy&section=search... [1] https://facebookcorewwwi.onion https://facebookcorewwwi.onion [2] https://www.torproject.org/projects/torbrowser.html.en https://www.torproject.org/projects/torbrowser.html.en [3] https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=applications https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=applications [4] https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=timeline&section=expansion&view https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=timeline&section=expan... [5] https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=timeline&section=suggestions&view https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=timeline&section=sugge...

raverbashing 10y ago
Good writeup I think 5 is solved by 2 as it blocks the Like buttons everywhere, no?
- nikcub 10y ago
  Ye it is - but in case you want to block them on a router for other network clients that don't have uBlock or equiv. available
andrei_says_ 10y ago
Don't add people you know In real life and don't let people you know friend you.
- nikcub 10y ago
  I have two family members and one friend who are school teachers. All use fake names[0] on Facebook because they don't want to be harrassed by parents or students online. Apparently, it is very common (both the harassment and teachers using aliases) [0] Usually a real first name with an altered/shortened surname
  - larrywright 10y ago
    I see this a lot as well, and it's always real first name + middle name.
  - type0 10y ago
    > All use fake names[0] on Facebook because they don't want to be harrassed by parents or students online. Until students find out the account and report it to facesbook so it could be deleted?
  - curiousgal 10y ago
    Well in fairness Facebook doesn't allow for much harassment. Messages from people outside your friendlist get routed to an other inbox and you can stop people from adding you or even finding you via searches, Not to mention blocking. So yeah, in the extent of stating safe from harassment using a pseudoname is overboard.
    - nikcub 10y ago
      It's not just harrasement in that sense, but also that you don't want to be bothered. With some parents, if they find you have a Facebook profile, they'll expect to be added. Once you are added, they'll expect you respond to private messages, etc. I've heard some horror stories about helicopter parents and how they deal with teachers online
      - kagamine 10y ago
        When my children started nursery and later school the parents were told by the staff that they will not friend you, if the FB account is in their name then consider it a private/personal account. If you want to contact the school look for fooSchool on facebook or similar. Once it has been made clear at the start of the year then staff need only reiterate if a parent forgets.
deleted 10y ago
[deleted]
ComodoHacker 10y ago
I'm afraid this won't help, considering current progress in AI [1]. Facebook will soon be able to match your HN (and every other) account with your FB account just by the words you write. [1] http://ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2016/6/23/ai-apple-and-google http://ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2016/6/23/ai-apple-and-go...
igravious 10y ago
Seems like an awful lot of bother to go through for so little benefit.
tim333 10y ago
>any more suggestions? Alternatively - this is approximately what I do: 1. Set things to pretty public 2. Only post stuff you don't mind the public seeing in the same way you would post on HN, twitter or a blog. If you want to tell people something in private don't use Facebook.
shopkins 10y ago
As an alternative to #7, you can also like and fill in as much as possible, as a kind of obfuscation. Among my other exploits (according to FB), I've lived in Alert, Nunavut and Istanbul, was divorced twice before age 16, and overcame a small bout of ass cancer while starting my lucrative pole dancing career. Oh and I love the Spice Girls (not to mention every pop band from the 90's). I don't know that this actually throws off Facebook's ad targeting and such, but it certainly makes them work harder.

by nikcub 10y ago

raverbashing 10y ago

Good writeup I think 5 is solved by 2 as it blocks the Like buttons everywhere, no?

nikcub 10y ago
Ye it is - but in case you want to block them on a router for other network clients that don't have uBlock or equiv. available

andrei_says_ 10y ago

Don't add people you know In real life and don't let people you know friend you.

nikcub 10y ago
I have two family members and one friend who are school teachers. All use fake names[0] on Facebook because they don't want to be harrassed by parents or students online. Apparently, it is very common (both the harassment and teachers using aliases) [0] Usually a real first name with an altered/shortened surname
- larrywright 10y ago
  I see this a lot as well, and it's always real first name + middle name.
- type0 10y ago
  > All use fake names[0] on Facebook because they don't want to be harrassed by parents or students online. Until students find out the account and report it to facesbook so it could be deleted?
- curiousgal 10y ago
  Well in fairness Facebook doesn't allow for much harassment. Messages from people outside your friendlist get routed to an other inbox and you can stop people from adding you or even finding you via searches, Not to mention blocking. So yeah, in the extent of stating safe from harassment using a pseudoname is overboard.
  - nikcub 10y ago
    It's not just harrasement in that sense, but also that you don't want to be bothered. With some parents, if they find you have a Facebook profile, they'll expect to be added. Once you are added, they'll expect you respond to private messages, etc. I've heard some horror stories about helicopter parents and how they deal with teachers online
    - kagamine 10y ago
      When my children started nursery and later school the parents were told by the staff that they will not friend you, if the FB account is in their name then consider it a private/personal account. If you want to contact the school look for fooSchool on facebook or similar. Once it has been made clear at the start of the year then staff need only reiterate if a parent forgets.

deleted 10y ago

[deleted]

ComodoHacker 10y ago

I'm afraid this won't help, considering current progress in AI [1]. Facebook will soon be able to match your HN (and every other) account with your FB account just by the words you write. [1] http://ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2016/6/23/ai-apple-and-google http://ben-evans.com/benedictevans/2016/6/23/ai-apple-and-go...

igravious 10y ago

Seems like an awful lot of bother to go through for so little benefit.

tim333 10y ago

>any more suggestions? Alternatively - this is approximately what I do: 1. Set things to pretty public 2. Only post stuff you don't mind the public seeing in the same way you would post on HN, twitter or a blog. If you want to tell people something in private don't use Facebook.

shopkins 10y ago

As an alternative to #7, you can also like and fill in as much as possible, as a kind of obfuscation. Among my other exploits (according to FB), I've lived in Alert, Nunavut and Istanbul, was divorced twice before age 16, and overcame a small bout of ass cancer while starting my lucrative pole dancing career. Oh and I love the Spice Girls (not to mention every pop band from the 90's). I don't know that this actually throws off Facebook's ad targeting and such, but it certainly makes them work harder.