Facebook is one of the most popular social media platforms, with over 2 billion monthly active users as of 2020. When you sign up for a Facebook account and create a profile, some information is set to be public by default while other information can be kept private.
It’s important to understand what information is public on your Facebook profile so you can better control your privacy settings. In this article, we’ll break down exactly what information is public or private on Facebook and how you can adjust your settings.
Public Profile Information
When you first create a Facebook profile, some types of information are set to public view by default. This includes:
- Profile photo
- Cover photo
- Name
- Profile name URL
- Gender
- Networks
- Username
- User ID (account number)
Your profile photo and cover photo are public by default when you first join Facebook. Anyone can see what profile and cover images you’ve uploaded, regardless of whether they are friends with you on Facebook or not.
Your name, profile name URL, gender, networks, username, and user ID are also automatically set to public view when you create your account. Your name is linked to your profile URL, and the username you choose upon signing up is public.
Posts
The posts you share on your Facebook profile can either be public, private, or visible to some sort of audience depending on your privacy settings. The default setting for posts is public.
When you post a status update, upload a photo, check-in somewhere, or publish any other content to your profile by default it is visible to anyone on or off Facebook. You can modify this in your privacy settings.
Friends list
Your friends list is private by default, meaning only you can see the entire list of people you are friends with on Facebook. Other people are unable to browse your friends list – the only way they can see if you are friends with someone is if you have both liked or commented on the same public post or are both tagged in the same photo.
Private profile information
While the items listed above are public by default when you first join Facebook, other information is kept private or limited by default. This includes:
- Email address
- Phone number
- Home address
- Relationship status
- Family members
- Posts and photos friends tag you in
Your personal contact information like your email, phone number, and home address are not visible to other Facebook members by default. You have the option to add these details to your profile, but they start out as private.
Your relationship status and family members list are also only visible to your Facebook friends by default. In addition, any posts, photos or updates you are tagged in by friends will only be shown on your profile to mutual friends, not the entire public.
Searchability
Your Facebook profile is not fully visible and searchable to anyone by default. Strangers would not be able to find your profile in a Facebook search unless you have some public information like your workplace listed.
Facebook’s default settings make your profile visible in searches only to your friends or friends of friends at first. But you can modify this to make your profile fully public so anyone can search and view it.
How to Adjust Privacy Settings
You may want to modify some of the default public visibility settings on Facebook for increased privacy. Here are steps to take to adjust your privacy settings:
- Click on the arrow in the top right corner and go to “Settings”.
- Select “Privacy” in the left column.
- You can now adjust visibility of your posts, profile information, friend list, and more.
- For posts, you can limit visibility to friends, friends except acquaintances, a custom list, or just yourself.
- For profile information like phone number and email, you can edit the settings to be visible to only certain people or no one.
- The friends list and searchability can also be adjusted to be more private.
- Be sure to click “Review all your settings” to double check that everything is set to your desired level of privacy.
Going through each section under the Privacy menu lets you control exactly who can see and access specific information on your Facebook profile. You may want to limit visibility of certain information like your phone number only to close friends, for example.
Advanced Privacy Settings
In addition to the basic privacy settings, Facebook offers more advanced options under Settings > Privacy > More Settings:
- Disable search engine links – This prevents search engines from indexing your profile
- Limit past posts – Change the audience for old posts to only friends instead of public
- Review tags – Review any tags people add to your posts before they appear
- Limit friend requests – Only let friends of friends send requests or disable requests completely
These advanced settings give you greater control over your Facebook privacy.
Information Facebook Always Keeps Private
There is some information Facebook keeps private and does not share publicly under any circumstances, including:
- Password
- Full birthdate (only month and day are public)
- Email addresses or phone numbers of your friends
- Your messages and chat conversations
Facebook will not reveal your password under any situation to other users or even law enforcement without a legal warrant. They also keep your exact birthdate, friend contact info, and all private communications completely secured.
Ways Information Can Become Public
Even if you set your profile settings to private, some actions can unintentionally make some information public or available to certain users:
- Tags – Being tagged in a friend’s public post can make your name visible
- Comments – Commenting on public posts means that comment is public
- Groups – Joining public groups shows your membership to that group
- Friends list – Mutual friends may be able to see you are friends with someone
- Likes – Liking a public page or post shows that you like that page
Use caution when interacting with public content on Facebook, as that engagement is visible to others accordingly. Also be careful about what information you disclose in comments and groups.
Information Visible to Apps and Websites
When you grant permission for third-party apps and websites to access your Facebook information, you may exposing some details publicly.
Here are some things apps and sites can potentially view and share publicly:
- Basic profile info
- Photos and posts
- Friends list
- Page likes
- Check-ins
- Events
- Your activity on that app
Review the specific permissions very carefully when authorizing apps through Facebook Login. Make sure you are comfortable with the level of access being granted.
Controlling Tags
One privacy setting specifically related to tags deserves separate mention – the ability to review tags people add to your own timeline.
When people tag you in posts, photos, or comments, enabling review lets you check those tags before they display on your profile. To adjust this setting:
- Go to Settings -> Privacy
- Click “Settings” under “Tags”
- Choose options like “Review tags people add to your own posts before the tags appear on Facebook” and “Review posts you’re tagged in before the post appears on your timeline”
- Click Save Changes
With tag review enabled, you candelete embarrassing or undesired tags completely.
Pages and Ads
Pages and advertisements present some unique privacy considerations on Facebook as well:
- Page administrators can see insights about people liking their pages
- Ads target you based on profile information Facebook shares with advertisers
- Sponsored content uses your profile activity and data to customize ads
Stay aware that pages and advertisers may access and utilize your information in these ways on Facebook.
Safe Mode
Facebook also offers a “Safe Mode” for times when you temporarily want to restrict access to your profile.
Activating Safe Mode for a period of time will:
- Limit your profile visibility to just friends
- Temporarily disable tagging
- Restrict notifications to friends only
This can be useful if you ever feel you’re being harassed or want an added layer of privacy while posting sensitive content.
Deleting Facebook
If you want to remove your profile and information completely from Facebook, you can delete your account:
- Go to Settings
- Click “Your Facebook Information” in the left column
- Select “Deactivation and Deletion”
- Choose “Delete Account” and follow the steps
Deleting your account completely removes your profile, photos, posts, and all personal information from Facebook forever.
Conclusion
Facebook allows you to share as much or as little information publicly as you choose based on the privacy settings available. Some profile details like your name, profile photo, cover photo, and username are visible by default when you sign up.
Other information like contact details, your relationship status, and friends list start out private. You can adjust any of these visibility settings at any time on Facebook.
Just be aware that certain actions like commenting, joining groups, and tagging can inadvertently make some private details public even with strict profile privacy settings in place.
Review all of your privacy options under Settings thoroughly. Conduct Facebook privacy checkups periodically to make sure your profile displays only the information you feel comfortable sharing publicly.