Two Facebook Features that Need Privacy Filters

I’ve become pretty serious about the responsible use of social networks after hearing so many stories of digital mishaps that have proven costly offline. I’m sure you too have heard a number of anecdotes about people who have shared something publicly that should have stayed private or posted a status that slammed a boss that was read by that supervisor. Personally I have very strict privacy settings on Facebook, whereas on Twitter I have an open profile and thus am guarded about what I post there.

Furthermore, I’ll soon be making a Facebook Page for where I work. In preparation I’ve been reading up on the ins and outs of the site’s privacy settings and policies. As a rule, they’re pretty good.

However, there are two features on Facebook which each lack a privacy filter, and I would argue each needs one. I’ve sent numerous inquiries to Facebook, but since they haven’t replied or tightened things up I figured I’d point them out.

1. Imported Stories

I add/generate content on a lot of different sites, but if I don’t share that content on Facebook or Twitter no one knows about it. Facebook has a built-in feature that lets you automatically import activity from other sites. To access the area shown above click on the Options link on your profile (right under the Share button), then click on Settings. I think this feature is great, though I get the impression it’s not used by many people.

The trouble with this method of import is there’s no way to designate which of your Facebook friends can and can’t see the stories you import. (There is one exception: the Blog/RSS import is actually part of the Notes application, which does have a privacy filter.)

I think I know why there isn’t a privacy filter on the Imported Stories feature, assuming it’s not just an oversight. In order to import content this way, each of the profiles you import from must be publicly viewable. So even if there was a privacy filter on this feature nothing would prevent someone I’ve filtered out from going straight to the source. I see the logic for excluding the filter, but it’s shortsighted. This filter is necessary so a user can choose who is alerted to the existence of my content and who isn’t, even if it can’t control who can and can’t see it somewhere else on the web.

I can offer a simple alternative for those wishing to auto-import content to Facebook, but who would like the ability to add privacy controls: the FriendFeed app. The whole “import from elsewhere automatically” thing is what FriendFeed is all about. You can even join FriendFeed without signing up for a new account because they let you sign-up with your Facebook credentials.  Facebook recently purchased FriendFeed, so don’t be surprised to see these two in cahoots more often. (I don’t use this app because I import my Twitter activity into FriendFeed and don’t want to bombard my Facebook friends with all my tweets.)

2. List of Pages

Stick with me on this one, because I know some of you might be thinking, “Pages are supposed to be public.” You’re right about that, but I’m talking about the list of Pages that appears on a user’s Info tab. There is currently no way to filter which of your friends can and can’t see the list of Pages of which you’re a fan (the list you see above), even though there are a similar filters for who can see your Friends list and Groups list.

There really isn’t a workaround for this one. Once you become a Fan of something, your Facebook friends can find out about it.

You can prevent your Pages list from appearing when someone who isn’t your friend searches for you, but this is not the default setting. To change it go to the Settings drop-down menu at the top of Facebook, click on Profile Settings, then on Search. Under “Search Result Content” uncheck “Pages I am a fan of.”

General Advice: Check Your Privacy Settings

Look, I know it’s a pain, especially on Facebook because there’s just so many of them. But it really is a good idea to check through what other people can and can’t see on your web accounts. This article on AllFacebook.com might be a good starting point if you’re looking to tighten up your Facebook privacy.