Unlike the other privacy settings, Search is one of the easier ones, but it created a firestorm of controversy when it was changed some months back.
Click to embiggen
The first option, “Facebook Search Results” determines who has permission to search for (and find) your profile on the site itself. This one is relatively harmless, since you have so much control elsewhere over how your profile is presented and what information you’re showing to non-friends. If you want to be found by old friends just joining Facebook, you should probably leave this one at “Everyone.”
The second option, “Public Search Results” determines how your profile is viewed on search engines such as Google. If you’re not comfortable with even a small part of your profile turning up in a Google or Yahoo! search, uncheck the Allow option immediately. (And shame on Facebook, it’s selected by default.)
Take a deep breath: You’ve come to the last stop on our magical mystery tour! And this one is easy, because there’s nothing to set, unless you have enemies that you don’t want to be able to contact you under any circumstances (within Facebook, at least).
You can block such people from the last privacy setting, Block List, by adding either their name or e-mail. If you’ve blocked someone, it will show their name or e-mail address in a list (such as the partially-smudged one shown above), and you have the option to also remove the block at any time. This setting is particularly handy if someone is contacting you from outside of Facebook that you don’t want to hear from, but you don’t want to close off everyone by changing your privacy setting to “Only Friends.”
If Only Life Had So Much Control
Congratulations, you’ve macheted your way through the thicket of Facebook privacy options! Despite how confusing Facebook has made most of their privacy settings, it’s nice to at least have the options available to begin with -- we’d just like to see them be a little more transparent about the ongoing changes they make, and work to make things a little simpler, too.
For now, here’s hoping that you feel safer having put some of the control back into your own hands, even if your friends might take a “devil may care” attitude about their own privacy…
JSamJr
May 25, 2010 at 6:24am
My Privacy Settings page does not list "Friends, Tags, and Conntectons" and only lists Profile Information not "Profile Information and Posts".
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Always Write
May 20, 2010 at 5:16pm
I believe the info about the “What your friends can share about you” section is incorrect. When I read what Facebook says under "Applications and Websites," I don't think it's talking about friends being able to "share" or re-post your links or photos or status updates, it's whether outside APPLICATIONS and WEBSITES can access that info. (True, it's ambiguous, and almost intentionally so, when FB uses the word "they." But several times it talks about what "applications can access.")
So, I don't think checking/unchecking those boxes allows/disallows friends to share your info (which you might want), I think checking those boxes means that, anytime any friend visits some random website or uses any random FB app (written by God-knows-who), that website or that random app can grab all your info: your relationship status, your religious views, your birthday, etc. Considering that most banks will use your birthdate as a "security question," I don't think allowing every website and FB app creator in the world access to it is a particularly great idea.
More info on how FB uses (abuses) your info here:
http://www.davidderrico.com/what-is-facebook-doing-with-your-info/
