Member Avatar for InsightsDigital

Is there a way to secure privacy in Facebook? I used to have very tight security and no one could find me. Now with the change, I get friend requests from people I never know. Annoying. Has this happened to you?

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  • Latest Post Latest Post by jay 11

Dani AI

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Brief summary and practical fix list for : getting friend requests from strangers usually means something in your profile or searchability is set to public, or your posting defaults let more people see you. is right that lists help, but lists alone are not enough. Use a few targeted controls together: friend-request filters, default audience for posts, the Restricted list, Timeline & Tagging review, and app permissions.

Start with a small, repeatable workflow:

  • Create two lists: a tight group (CloseFriends) and a Restricted list for anyone you must keep as a friend but do not want to share with.
  • Set your default audience for new posts to Friends (not Public). When posting, use the custom audience selector to exclude lists like Work or Associates.
  • Use the Restricted list so people remain friends but only see posts you mark Public or explicitly share with them.
  • Run "Limit Past Posts" (Privacy settings) to change old public posts to Friends only.

Other important checks and quick actions:

  • Change who can send you friend requests to Friends of friends if spam is large.
  • Turn off lookup by email/phone and stop allowing search engines to link to your profile.
  • Turn on Timeline and Tagging review so you approve tags before they appear.
  • Review Apps and Websites and remove any apps that post on your behalf.
  • Use View As (or Privacy Checkup) to see what strangers see, and enable two-factor authentication for account security.

When an unknown request arrives, inspect mutual friends, recent posting activity, and whether the profile looks real. Ignore or block obvious fakes and report suspicious accounts. For context: some members (like ) welcome new contacts, but if privacy matters, combine the items above to regain granular control without leaving Facebook, answering ’s question about why join yet want privacy.

Recommended Answers

All 4 Replies

Member Avatar for InsightsDigital

I think in the process of Facebook trying to simplify process, it made privacy harder to be controlled by users. What do you think?

Member Avatar for mackone

I see it as a chance to get to know new people. Unless it’s obvious that the person befriending me is the facebook page for a band or something else commercial. Don’t care about those.

Member Avatar for 3oltan

if you want to hide your self then why you join facebook? Tell me how do you approach by user? either from email or user name? or you are offering some branding product on face book?

Member Avatar for jay 11

i agree with the OP. The recent updates to Facebook have made it increasingly more difficult to hide certain information or grant limited access to your personal profile. One way around this is to create lists and then assign certain people to those lists. For example, you may want to hide certain information from associates or work related friends. Create a list called 'associates,' assign those people to that list, and then set permissions for that group within your Privacy settings.

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