Facebook is being weaponized by state forces through an army of online trolls. There have been many reports to back this up already. However, with Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg showing little to no interest in regulating the platform he built, we’re left to fend for ourselves.

If, for one reason or another, you’re unable to completely leave the social media platform, here are ways to protect yourself. First and foremost, restrict access to your profile.

• Launch the Facebook App
• Look for the three stacked horizontal lines. If you’re using an iPhone, it’s on the bottom right corner, right next to the notification icon. For Android users, this will be on the top right corner, still next to the notification icon. Tap that.
• Tap “Settings and Privacy” which reveal more options underneath it. Among those options, select “Privacy shortcuts”.
• The “Privacy shortcuts” screen will reveal several options. Look for “See more privacy settings.”
• On this “Privacy Settings” screen you can adjust who can see your posts, stories, and highlights. You can restrict this to just your friends. You’ll also have control over who can add you as a friend.
• You can also manage who can see your friends list, and who can look you up using details like your phone number and email address, and if your profile will be searchable using other search engines. Here, we suggest you restrict to “Only Me” where applicable and “No” to the search engine option.

Other ways to secure your online profile

• Use two-factor authentication
  • Two-factor authentication offers an extra layer of protection on your accounts other than your password. The second factor usually asks for an SMS, but you can up the security further by using an authenticator app. Best ones we recommend are: Google Authenticator, LastPass Authenticator, and Microsoft Authenticator.

• Manage which apps have access to your profiles
  • All those quizzes and games you’ve played on Facebook could be used as a backdoor to your profile. You can fix this by revoking their access. Just go to “Settings and Privacy” again. Click “Settings.” On the “Settings” page, under Security, click on “Apps and Websites.”
  • On the “Apps and Websites” page, click on “Logged in With Facebook.” From here you’ll see all of the apps where you used Facebook to login with. Check the ones you’re not using anymore and make, then press “Remove”.
  • You can also do this on other social networking sites like Instagram and Twitter. The options can be found in the same manner. Just look for keywords like security, access, and privacy.

• Double check your Friends list
  • If there’s anyone there that you don’t really know. Unfriend and/or block immediately.

• Don’t share sensitive information on social media
  • This includes anything that has to do with the full identities of yourself, your family, friends, and loved ones. If you’re not sure if you’ve done this before, you can restrict who has access to all your posts in one fell swoop. Then, you can review your posts later on to take off anything that’s not supposed to be there.

• Use a separate email for your social media log-ins
  • We use emails for several reasons. Make sure the one you’re using for your social media account is not linked to the email you use to access more sensitive information like your bank account/s.

Reporting Fake accounts 

On Facebook:

1. Go to the profile of the fake account.
   • If you can’t find it, try searching for the name used on the profile or asking your friends if they can send you a link to it.
2. Click the three dots under the cover photo and select Find Support or Report Profile.
3. Follow the on-screen instructions for fake accounts to file a report.

On Twitter, head to this link.

On Instagram, fill out this form.

It’s unfortunate that we even had to put this article together. These safeguards are in place to make sure we can protect our identities and continue to fight to make social media and the Internet a generally safe space.

Be vigilant. Stay informed and stay safe.