Everyone needs to pay very close attention to Facebook’s recent announcement that Facebook applications and external third-party websites will be allowed to use and store users’ information unless you revoke permission.  Since the default setting is now  to allow Facebook to share your name, profile picture, gender, and connections,; external sites like Yelp and Pandora can use your information to customize their functionality to your personality unless you change your privacy settings or click “No thanks” each time you visit one of the selected external sites.

The popular social networking site’s latest move to loosen privacy settings is not all that surprising given it comes on the heels of a series of moves toward less user control over personal information by Facebook and other social sites.  Just last week, Facebook also quietly rolled out a change in user profiles that allows “current city, hometown, education and work, and likes and interests” to be shared publicly outside of your network of friends.  Since there is no option to restrict who views much of your personal information, your only option as of now is to delete those fields.

While the privacy changes are being made incrementally, they represent a fundamental change in the way we interact on Facebook and could spill over to other websites—perhaps even without your actual knowledge.  Since today’s companies are increasingly blurring the line between where private information and public information is, consumers need to be even more careful in how we interact on Facebook and become even more vigilant in protecting our personal information from falling into the wrong hands.

We’ve talked a lot about practical ways to keep your personal information safe here on IDGuardian.com, including this recent post on college graduates and their social media profile.  For a really helpful how-to guide to auditing your Facebook privacy settings, also check out this recent article on FastCompany.com.

Related posts:

1. Saving Facebook: Perspectives on New Privacy Policies
2. WARNING: Facebook Scam
3. Why Identity Protection for Kids Matters
4. Footprints to a College Graduate’s Social Media Profile (Part I)
5. When a Stranger Comes Calling: Why Social Networking Could Be Fueling a New Era of Digital Burglars