Click's Facebook security advice

If you are worried about Click's investigation into the potential risk of identity theft by third-party applications on Facebook (1 May, 2008), here is our advice.

First: Do not panic. If you are worried we believe you have two options:

OPTION 1: STOP YOUR DETAILS BEING VISIBLE

You can completely stop any of your details from being visible to applications.

Bear in mind that if you use applications, they are all granted access to certain parts of your profile, whether they need them or not. The only way to be sure no one can see your details, and to stop any of your details being seen by friends' applications is to tell Facebook you do not want to have anything to do with any applications, ever.

Here is how you do it:

Log in and click on the "privacy" option at the top of the front page, then on the "Applications" option, then on the "Other Applications" tab.

Here you can select what Applications added by your Friends can see about you.

Click the option near the bottom marked "Do not share any information about me through the Facebook API".

If you cannot click it, it is because you have applications on your profile already. You will need to remove all of them.

Now, your profile will not talk to any applications at all.

WARNING: Confusingly, if you now try and add an application, Facebook will let you. It gives you the standard warning that your details will be shared, but no extra warnings that you are overriding your privacy settings. It will also flip off the button you ticked about the Facebook API, making you visible to friends' applications again.

OPTION 2: REDUCE THE DETAILS VISIBLE TO APPLICATIONS

Again, bear in mind that if you use Applications, they are all granted access to certain parts of your profile, whether they need them or not.

It is your responsibility to make sure an application is not malicious - although we have no idea how you can tell.

Log in and click on the "privacy" option, then on the "Applications" option, then on the "Other Applications" tab.

Select "Share my name, networks, and list of friends, as well as the following information."

Here you can select what Applications added by your Friends can see about you.

Deselect any information you do not want them to see.

It looks to us like your name, networks, and list of friends are always visible to friends' applications. We do not think this is as intrusive as Facebook's default settings, and remember: Facebook is about being part of a community - and that means sharing some information.