It's Friday! (Everybody cheer!)
So, we all know that unwelcome twitch of seeing a Facebook ad that pops up right after we search for or buy a product somewhere else (or mention it to someone). I've got something that might help you if you are using Firefox or a Firefox fork like Waterfox or PaleMoon. It's Facebook Container. Here's what it does: The Facebook Container extension isolates your FB identity into a tab and makes it harder for Facebook to track you on the web outside of Facebook. When you visit Facebook it will open in a new blue-colored browser tab. In that tab you can login to Facebook and use it like you normally would. If you click on a non-Facebook link or go to a non-Facebook website in the URL bar, these pages will load outside of the container. You will not see Facebook links to your account anywhere outside of Facebook because the extension blocks them from linking to your personal identity. Facebook logins and like buttons will not work outside of Facebook. This can be a HUGE downside for people who use their Facebook login for other accounts online. I do not recommend it for these people. I also do not recommend this extension for people who like staying logged into Facebook, Instagram or Messenger all of the time. The extension logs you out of these accounts when you close the browser tab and/or your browser. I know that Google is impossible to contain, but at least Facebook is a bit less present in my inner life because of the fence that I've thrown up around it. I love this extension. Let's talk about clones. Really. Facebook clones.
Facebook clone accounts are NOT a hack or an exploit. It isn't a security risk. They haven't hacked your account. It doesn't take great skill to copy and paste information from a Facebook account. Clone accounts are a simple scam that uses trust to fool people rather than technical expertise. Here's what to do if your account has been cloned: Search for your name. If you come up with your name, personal information, picture(s) that it isn't you, report it. Here's how to report it:
You can also let your friends know that they shouldn't accept requests from the other account. Here are some tips if you want to avoid being cloned: Hide your Facebook Friend list. That's where the scammers get their information. They use your public information to get everything. Your friends are their targets. If your friends are private, they've got nothing to use. It's much harder for them to scam people they can't see.
Keep personal posts visible to friends only. The only pictures that have to be public are your avatar photo and your cover pic. They can both be hidden from your timeline. It's always good to check your privacy settings anyway. Make personal photos, contact information available to friends only. I know that a lot of people have their information available because it's connected with their business, but it's easy to make a separate page for a business. |
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