With personal data being very valuable to companies these days it is very wise for you to lock your profile on social media. As a private investigator when I get a surveillance job the first thing I will do is locate my subject of interest on social media and Facebook is the best one to start with as it is very open to those who know how to use it well. Here are the best ways to secure your data and lock your profile down on Facebook.
Facebook in some countries now allows it’s users to lock their profiles. In the UK at the time of writing this blog, Facebook is in the testing phase so not everyone with a profile can lock them just yet but it’s worth checking yours;
How to do this is simple;
Go to your profile in the app > hit the tree dots button > scroll down and select Lock Your Profile
Then away you go you have locked you profile down!
If you have filled your bio with every bit of personal data under the sun then I highly recommend you remove that. It is nothing but just giving your data away for free on the open market.
Even your birthday doesn’t need to be on there! Facebook at the time of writing is age restricted to 13 but there are no hard fast checks so they don’t need you to input your date of birth on there. You can just put any date in, which I have done..
Adding things like your current town/city, workplace and school are all things I as a private investigator will use to locate you faster on Facebook. They are identifying markers you are offering up to anyone that you just simply don’t need to be giving out.
As a default your profile will be searchable on outside search engines such as Google.
Remove yourself from there in a few simple steps to help yourself be one more step to being harder to locate.
Head to the Privacy Check Up in settings and go through the settings shown in How People Can Find You on Facebook.
Here switch off being located on search engines. Whilst you’re there, make sure your email and phone aren’t used for search/recommendations too and select No One in that heading.
The whole point of social media is being social and posting media.. Sharing pictures, videos and your opinions is exactly what makes it great. Be sure though to make sure you know exactly who can see your content and what you post.
When you are in the process of posting a picture or what’s on your mind you need to be sure to Select the Audience. Especially for your profile picture!
Some profiles are automatically set to Everyone and this is very dangerous. Sharing information that can be seen and searched for by everyone leaves you in a very vulnerable position especially if the data is sensitive i.e. your children’s images and pictures around your home.
Remember, I’m writing this as a private investigator. Criminals use these techniques when looking to choose easy targets. If you show the whole world the inside of your house you could be sharing a catalogue of things a criminal could steal, along with the map!
The View As feature is an incredible way to be able to see exactly what you are showing the world.
On your profile select the Three Dots and then press View As and the automatic setting is your public profile which is what users who aren’t your friends on Facebook can see. If you look this version of your profile and see content you don’t want to share with the world then you need to lock it down and fast!
These are great and add a nice touch to your profile however, they offer a fantastic backdoor into your account.
On your cover photo you can get some good insights as an investigator such as your friends and family.
If your friends and family have liked or commented on your cover photo they have unknowingly offered us more links of search to you. This is because your cover photo and its like and comments are PUBLIC and at the time of writing this cannot be changed.
If your profile is fairly secure but your spouse or partner’s isn’t this is an easy way to get more information of you through THEIR profile.
I can simply visit your Facebook profile > view your cover photo > check who has liked or commented > this is where I can dig in and find more about you through your friends… all because of one photo.
The best solution? There isn’t a great one other than to not have a cover photo at all from what I can see.
For some readers all of these tips will be very common knowledge no doubt however, if this blog helps just one person better protect their online data then it’s worth it!
As always, thanks for reading!
Dan
Delta 74 Private Investigations Ltd
DBS Offices
The Old Vicarage
Market Place
Castle Donington
Derby
DE74 2JB
Registered in England & Wales – Reg: 10912733
Registered VAT Number – 400536934
Copyright © 2021 – Delta 74 Private Investigations Ltd – Privacy Policy – Terms
Web Design by Evolution Media
