As an entrepreneur and consultant focused on small business growth, I often advise clients on safe social media practices. Networks like Facebook are invaluable for connecting with customers and promoting your brand. However, oversharing can compromise your privacy or business security.
In 2022 alone, over 44 million Facebook users were affected in data breaches exposing personal information. Securing your Facebook presence is crucial, especially if you use it to support business activities.
That‘s why I recommend all entrepreneurs lock down their Facebook profiles. This ensures only approved friends access your sensitive info, photos, posts and more.
In this comprehensive guide, I‘ll share step-by-step instructions for locking Facebook profiles on mobile and desktop. You‘ll also get my expert perspective on customizing visibility plus other privacy best practices.
Let‘s get started securing your Facebook presence!
Why Entrepreneurs Should Lock Facebook Profiles
As a consultant focused on small business growth, I advise clients to be very careful on Facebook. Entrepreneurs often use it to network, market to customers and even contact suppliers or vendors.
However, oversharing personal or business information can seriously compromise your privacy and security:
- Identity theft is a massive risk, with over 1 million cases reported in 2021 alone.
- Social media scams are also rampant. Fake friend requests and messages often aim to steal data or spread malware.
- Disgruntled customers or contacts may try to publicly embarrass you by tagging malicious content.
By locking your Facebook profile, entrepreneurs can reduce these risks and use the platform more safely.
Step-by-Step Guide to Lock Your Profile on Mobile
If you access Facebook via your smartphone, use these steps to lock your account:
On Android
- Open the Facebook app and tap the hamburger menu (3 horizontal lines).
- Choose Settings & Privacy > Settings.
- Scroll down and select Privacy.
- Tap Privacy Checkup.
- Enable privacy settings like Limit Past Posts.
- Scroll further down and select Lock Profile.
- Read the prompt and confirm by tapping Lock Your Profile.
Your profile is now locked on Android!
On iPhone
- Tap your profile picture.
- Select the 3 dots in the top right corner.
- Choose Lock Profile from the menu.
- Read the locking instructions.
- Confirm by tapping Lock Your Profile.
You‘ve successfully locked your Facebook profile on iPhone!
Locking Profiles on Desktop
If you primarily access Facebook via a desktop browser, use this process:
- Click your profile picture and choose Settings & Privacy.
- Select Settings from the left menu.
- Click on Privacy in the left sidebar.
- Scroll down and click Edit beside "Who can see your friends list?".
- Select Only Me from the dropdown.
- Similarly, limit visibility of your followers.
- In the Profile and Tagging section, limit old post visibility.
- Turn on tag review for posts.
- Click the Lock Profile button and confirm.
Your desktop Facebook profile is now locked down!
Customizing Visibility for Added Security
Profile locking limits what strangers/public viewers can access. But you should also customize visibility for:
- Individual posts – Use audience selectors while publishing posts.
- Photos – Change visibility settings from the options below each photo.
- Stories – Choose audiences before sharing stories.
- Friends list – Toggle visibility setting to hide your contacts from public view.
- Email, phone number – Only allow friends to view this sensitive information.
Actively manage privacy controls for all Facebook content types. This gives entrepreneurs added security.
Unlocking Your Profile
If you need to unlock the profile later, simply:
- On mobile, tap the 3 dots > Unlock Profile.
- On desktop, click the Unlock Profile button.
Final Thoughts
I hope this guide gives fellow entrepreneurs more control over their sensitive business and personal information on Facebook. Make sure to lock your profile, restrict old posts, review tags and customize visibility settings.
These tips allow small business owners like yourself to use Facebook safely while growing your brand! Let me know if you have any other privacy questions.
