Two Things NOT to do on Facebook

Many times we take Facebook for granted, chatting with friends and generally enjoying ourselves, but before you start posting your favourite links today, check these two essential security steps first.

(I’m assuming that you DON’T have your home address in Facebook, right?)

Your Password

Don’t use a password that’s easily discovered. Don’t use simple names or words (even if you do tack numbers on the end).

• Mix upper- and lower-case letters, special characters and numbers
• Use at least eight characters in a password.

Here’s an example using the word oranges – &orAn!gEs%

Your Birthday

Why tell the world your birthdate? Do you hope to receive virtual gifts (many of which can be extremely unsafe) from passing strangers? Your friends should know when your birthday is. If they don’t, remind them offline.

Birthdates are a tasty target for identity thieves. Don’t make it so easy for them to gain access! Keep your personal details to yourself.

Go to your profile page and click on the Info tab, then on Edit Information and

• Give a wrong date on your profile.
• If you’ve already posted your birthday details, at least remove the year or
• Leave the birth fields completely empty.