Skip to main content
  1. Home
  2. Web

How to keep your use of creepy apps a secret on Facebook

By
how to keep your use of creepy apps a secret on facebook tinder
Image used with permission by copyright holder

If you’re checking out this article right now, then it’s safe to assume that you, dear reader, are an active social media user – and you’re not the only one. It’s amazing how much information can be pulled together from your countless profiles on various online outlets – and the fact that you use your Facebook to login and authenticate a variety of different apps makes it easier yet to see what you’re up to. Yes, if you’re hooking up with randoms via BangWithFriends or Tinder, thanks to Facebook’s Graph Search function, your dirty little secret is out in the social media wild, for all your friends, family, and other acquaintances to see.

There are many reasons to tighten up your privacy and account settings on Facebook, and your inclination to use apps you’d rather not go public is a pretty good one. Thankfully, the process of putting your online activities on lockdown is pretty easy.

Recommended Videos

1. Check out your app settings. On Facebook, go to Privacy settings by clicking on the gear icon on the upper-right corner of your screen. Then click on Apps.

app use lockdown - privacy settings
Image used with permission by copyright holder

2. Explore each app’s permission settings by clicking on Edit. Every app, site, or service you’ve ever joined or signed into using your Facebook profile should be listed on this page, and if you’re quick to click on the “sign in using your Facebook account,” it should be a very long list – that’s totally on you. Now’s your chance to clean up house and make sure every app’s permissions aren’t set up in a way that lets the entirety of Facebook know about your shenanigans.

app use lockdown - edit permissions
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Clicking on Edit will allow you to control the following things:

  • App behavior: This is usually indicated by the phrase, “post on your behalf.” That means it can broadcast all sorts of activity connected to the app in question, such as videos you’ve watched, songs you’ve listened to, and who knows what else (it really depends on what the app is for). You can easily revoke permissions by clicking the ‘X’ on the right.
  • Visibility of app: This is the most important setting of all concerning your “crap, everyone knows I’m a Tinder troll” problem. Normally, this setting defaults to Public, which is the root of your online embarrassment. If you want to keep it all a secret, change this setting and choose “Only me” from the drop-down menu. Note that this only controls visibility of the app on Facebook – you and all your activity are still exposed on the app itself.

3. Stop signing into things using your Facebook profile. I know doing so is so convenient and it sucks having to remember all the usernames and the passwords, but if you really want to put an end to all the unwarranted exposure on Facebook, then you know what to do. At the very least, just choose ‘Only Me’ when you’re authenticating the app.

Editors’ Recommendations

Topics
Jam Kotenko
Jam Kotenko
Former Digital Trends Contributor
When she's not busy watching movies and TV shows or traveling to new places, Jam is probably on Facebook. Or Twitter. Or…
How to change margins in Google Docs
Laptop Working from Home

When you create a document in Google Docs, you may need to adjust the space between the edge of the page and the content --- the margins. For instance, many professors have requirements for the margin sizes you must use for college papers.

You can easily change the left, right, top, and bottom margins in Google Docs and have a few different ways to do it.

Read more
What is Microsoft Teams? How to use the collaboration app
A close-up of someone using Microsoft Teams on a laptop for a videoconference.

Online team collaboration is the new norm as companies spread their workforce across the globe. Gone are the days of primarily relying on group emails, as teams can now work together in real time using an instant chat-style interface, no matter where they are.

Using Microsoft Teams affords video conferencing, real-time discussions, document sharing and editing, and more for companies and corporations. It's one of many collaboration tools designed to bring company workers together in an online space. It’s not designed for communicating with family and friends, but for colleagues and clients.

Read more
Microsoft Word vs. Google Docs
A person using a laptop that displays various Microsoft Office apps.

For the last few decades, Microsoft Word has been the de facto standard for word processors across the working world. That's finally starting to shift, and it looks like one of Google's productivity apps is the heir apparent. The company's Google Docs solution (or to be specific, the integrated word processor) is cross-platform and interoperable, automatically syncs, is easily shareable, and perhaps best of all, is free.

However, using Google Docs proves it still has a long way to go before it can match all of Word's features -- Microsoft has been developing its word processor for over 30 years, after all, and millions still use Microsoft Word. Will Google Docs' low barrier to entry and cross-platform functionality win out? Let's break down each word processor in terms of features and capabilities to help you determine which is best for your needs.
How does each word processing program compare?
To put it lightly, Microsoft Word has an incredible advantage over Google Docs in terms of raw technical capability. From relatively humble beginnings in the 1980s, Microsoft has added new tools and options in each successive version. Most of the essential editing tools are available in Google Docs, but users who are used to Word will find it limited.

Read more