Exploits & Vulnerabilities
Ask Vic: What can Facebook apps see on my profile?
To view your privacy settings for any given Facebook app, follow this procedure:
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By Vic Hargrave
What exactly can those who are behind the Facebook apps see of my profile? I have only one at present and can’t decide if it is safe to have any.
– Thanks, Becky
Hi Becky, thanks for your question. To view your privacy settings for any given Facebook app, follow this procedure:
- Open your Privacy Settings by selecting this item in the dropdown menu next to your Home button on your blue Facebook panel.
- Click on Edit Settings link under Apps and Websites.
- Click on the Edit Settings button under Apps you use.
- Click on the Edit link by the app that you want to inspect.
- The actions that the app can take are listed under the This app can section. Click on the See more link to get details about the particular action.
- Some actions are required and cannot be removed while others can be removed. Click on the Remove by each action that you want to disable.
- The Last data access section gives you the date this app last looked at your data. Click on See details to get more information.
- Under App activity privacy you can select who can see your app messages and activity from the app in the drop down menu to right. My suggestion is to limit this information to just Friends.
I can’t really answer the question about whether it is safe to allow applications visibility into you personal information. Generally speaking, the less you reveal of yourself online the better off you are in terms of preserving your privacy.
That said, opting out of using any given Facebook app might not be a desirable goal if you enjoy using the app and you trust the organization that produced it. If this describes how you feel about the one app you use, then you are probably okay using it.
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