Default Settings
In this section, we'll show what the default privacy settings are for Facebook.
When first creating a Facebook account, you're asked to join a network, which can be a geographical region, a school, or a company. Regions require no special authentication, but schools and companies require a valid email issued by the institution in question.
After choosing a network, you can customize your profile to your liking. Facebook requires that you provide your birthday "as both a safety precaution and as a means of preserving the integrity of the site." The only way you can hide your birthday from being public is not by changing your privacy settings, but by changing your profile settings as shown in the following screenshot. The default is to let it be public.
If you're not a member of a network, then only your friends can view your profile. If you join a network, however, the default setting is to allow everyone in all of your networks, as well as your friends, to view your full profile.
Before adding a network.
After adding a network.
Other Facebook Privacy Features
The default settings are fairly loose and close to being as public as possible.
| Privacy Feature: | What this feature does: | Analysis of Default Settings: | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Profile | You can edit your profile settings to control anything that might appear on your profile except your birthday. For example, you can control who can see your wall, photos and videos of you, and your contact information. | In the graphic, it appears that there is a more public setting, but there isn't one. The default setting is to be as public as possible, but this makes some sense. At worst, people who are in your network but are not your friends will see it. Presumably, you would only join a network if you felt comfortable with its members. For example, a Stanford student would feel unthreatened by other Stanford students. | |
| Search | This feature controls whether a limited profile of you can be indexed by an external search engine. It also determines which networks can find you in a Facebook search. If someone who cannot find your profile finds you through a search, you can control whether they're allowed to do such things as see your picture or message you. | The default settings for this are also as public as possible, so a completely random stranger who isn't even in one of your networks can message or poke you. However, this setting is useful for when a long-lost friend from elementary school wants to track down a user. Restricting this setting more would make it harder for distant but valid acquaintances to find each other. | |
| News Feed and Mini-Feed | You can control what kinds of stories about you are published to the News and Mini-Feeds. For example, you can stop News Feed from reporting to your friends whenever you comment on a photo. | The default settings are to publicize everything possible. Users complained greatly at first when the feeds were first introduced; the ``Students against Facebook News Feed'' group still has over 210, 000 members. While the feeds make Facebook seem more active and lively than a mere address book, many complain that the feeds were creepy. The feeds can be effectively turned off by telling it not to report any stories at all. | |
| Poke, Message and Friend Request Settings | When a user contacts another user on Facebook through poking, messaging, or a friend request, the user being contacted can see more of the contacter's profile than usual, temporarily. | By default, this setting is not as public as possible. For example, the names of the groups a user joined are still hidden. Facebook says this setting is needed to let users gauge whether they actually know someone before responding to any contact. This setting can be controlled to reveal as much or as little of your profile as you desire. | |
| External Websites | Controls what stories about your activities off of Facebook is sent to your profile | The default is to let sites post stories about your non-Facebook activities. Clearly, this is an extension of the News Feed and Mini-Feed. This feature, once called Beacon, was stripped down after extensive user protest. |
Facebook also gives you the ability to completely block other users from having any contact with you at all, or prevent certain people from viewing certain parts of your profile. Since you have to know the person you want to block or limit, this feature is only useful for protecting yourself from a nemesis.