UBER-POPULAR social networking site Facebook has long struggled to find the right balance between improving the site and safeguarding the privacy of its users.

Recently, the launch of its Beacon advertising platform in September was pummelled by severe criticism from users worried about privacy violations. This, after a security researcher revealed that it tracks user activities on external sites, captures data on what users do and buy on them, and sends it back to Facebook.

Currently, Facebook automatically assumes that you wish to share all your personal information with everyone on the Web.

The onus is on you, the user, to tweak the privacy settings in Facebook, and avoid any embarrassing situations.

Click on Privacy at the top-right hand corner of the screen. You will then be directed to the Privacy page of your account.

Here's a step-by-step guide on how to limit the sharing of your personal information.

Prevent your profile from being found by outsiders

Don't want your Facebook profile to be 'Googled'?

• Click Edit Settings under the Search heading on the Privacy page.
• Select 'Only my friends' in the drop-down menu so that only the friends whom you have added on Facebook will be able to find you using the Search function in Facebook.
• Uncheck the box beside this box - 'Create a public search listing for me' - and submit it for search engine indexing. This will stop your profile from showing up on Google when your name is searched.

Stop Facebook from sharing information about your activities on other websites

The default setting allows external websites to send information about your actions on their site, such as the purchase of a DVD disc, to Facebook, where it will be displayed in your News Feed.

• Click Edit Settings under the External Websites heading.
• Check the box next to 'Don't allow any websites to send stories to my profile'.

Hide sensitive portions of your Profile page

You may wish to hide certain portions of your Profile page, such as your contact information or the videos you upload.

• Click 'Edit Settings' under the Profile heading. You will then be able to customise the settings for different parts of your profile. You can also choose to limit the viewing of your entire profile to just your friends.
• For example, to prevent outsiders from viewing your photos, select 'Only my friends' or 'Only me' in the relevant drop-down menu.

Prevent applications from sharing your data

If, like most Facebook users, you have added Facebook applications to your account, you can limit the information available to them.

• Under the Other Applications tab, choose which data - such as the groups you belong to and your relationship status - will be available to these applications by checking the boxes next to them.
• For maximum security, check the box next to 'Do not share any information about me'. Take note that you won't be able to select this if you have downloaded applications that are built on the Facebook platform - you will have to uninstall them first before you can check the box.

Block specific people from accessing your Facebook profile

Are you the unfortunate victim of 'Facebook stalking'? People flooding you with unwanted and inappropriate messages? Put an end to the never-ending messages and comments on your photos by blocking the user directly.

• Under the Block People section at the bottom of the Privacy page, enter the person's name in the search box and then click 'Block Person'. He or she will now be unable to search for you, see your profile, or contact you on Facebook. Whew!

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