State AG issues safety advisory on Facebook

Balderas provides protection tips

With Facebook in the midst of a privacy scandal involving its users’ data, New Mexico Attorney General Hector Balderas issued a consumer safety advisory Thursday urging people to protect their personal information.

“You can decide who can see and use your data just as you can decide who to allow into your home,” Balderas said. “However, everyone should be aware that ‘sharing’ information in cyberspace multiplies the possibility that a third party has and will use your information.”

He warned that Facebook users expose their information, as well as their friends’, whenever they sign into an app or website using Facebook. To make matters worse, that site shares the data “with other outfits according to its own policies and procedures,” Balderas said.

Facebook has come under intense criticism since the revelation that data-mining firm Cambridge Analytica may have used data improperly obtained from roughly 50 million Facebook users to try to sway elections.

Balderas suggests starting by reviewing privacy settings on your Facebook account by going to the site and following directions on how to tailor the settings. The “frequently asked questions” section explains how to control who sees profiles and timelines and what to do if you don’t want search engines to link to your profile.

Other suggestions:

Opt to use Facebook’s “verification ■ mechanism,” which will require “two-factor authentication” before logging in.

Change settings for sharing ■ phone and email information, by clicking “settings,” then “privacy” under “Who can look me up.”

Delete any apps you find on settings, ■ especially if you don’t know how they got there. To be on the safe side, click “x” on any apps you don’t recognize to disconnect them for good. For apps you do wish to keep, click the pencil/ edit button to review what kind of permissions they have.

Review and consider deleting ■ apps on Facebook on the box labeled “Apps Others Use.” Many of the third-party apps your friends use can pull data on you and on your friends.

For those who want to delete Facebook completely, consider first looking at the personal data Facebook has given away. Click the “account” menu down arrow at the top right of any Facebook page; then click “download a copy of your Facebook data” at the bottom of General Account settings and finally, click “Start My Archive.”

Note that Facebook delays deletion for a few days in case users change their minds. The deletion is canceled if you log in during the grace period.