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Seven tips for securing your Facebook account

Facebook can be a tricky beast when it comes to keeping your account private and secure. Here are seven tips to help you tame it.

Jason Cipriani
Jason Cipriani is based out of beautiful Colorado and has been covering mobile technology news and reviewing the latest gadgets for the last six years. His work can also be found on sister site CNET in the How To section, as well as across several more online publications.
Jason Cipriani
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1 of 7 Screenshot by Jason Cipriani/CNET

Manage which ads you see

It's no secret that when you use Facebook, you are the product being sold. Your browsing history and Facebook activity help advertisers better target you, and Facebook makes a killing off of this ability.

Thankfully, Facebook has given you control over which ads you see. You can even set custom categories to help refine the ads presented to you. Hey, if you're going to see them either way, you may as well make sure they're relevant to your interests.

With that in mind, take a look at how to control which ads you see.

Editors' note: This post was originally published July 14, 2014. It has since been updated with new information.

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2 of 7 Screenshot by Lance Whitney/CNET

Control who sees your posts

Whenever you post something online, be it to Facebook or elsewhere, you should always be sure you know who can see it.

Sometimes, it's not clear who exactly can see what you've posted on Facebook. Lance Whitney explains the settings and how to manage who sees what on your Facebook account.

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3 of 7 Screenshot by Dan Graziano/CNET

Block your ex, annoying app invites

After a bad breakup or 20 app invites in a single day, blocking a person (or app) may be a necessary step to help you stay sane.

Dan Graziano shows you how easy it is to block users and apps, keeping your Facebook feed clutter- and creeper-free.

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4 of 7 Screenshot by Dennis O'Reilly/CNET

Five minutes or less

Intimidated by all of the options found within Facebook's settings? Fear not, my fine-looking digital friend.

We have a post that walks you through tuning up your Facebook security in just 5 minutes. Sorry, but we can't offer a free pizza if it takes longer.

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5 of 7 Screenshot by Nicole Cozma/CNET

Lists are the best

Facebook likes to tinker with your News Feed, often hiding the most recent feed, ensuring you see only what the network curates on your behalf.

Thankfully, there's a dead simple workaround for the curation process so you can take control.

Read more about creating your own Facebook list to ensure you never miss a friend's updates again.

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6 of 7 Screenshot by Rick Broida/CNET

You have a hidden inbox

When you're locking your Facebook account down, you might accidentally make it too secure. One such example is the second inbox Facebook gives every user.

Messages sent from users you don't know often end up here -- in some instances messages from people you do know will also end up here.

Rick Broida not only shows you where to find your "Other" inbox, but he walks you through making sure messages get to the right place.

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7 of 7 Screenshot by Dennis O'Reilly/CNET

More security details

Have more than 5 minutes to spare? Check out Dennis O'Reilly's comprehensive guide covering what you need to know about keeping your personal information safe.

Yes, we are really driving home how important it is to keep your information secure when using Facebook. It's just because we care.

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