Facebook reminds Filipino users: Stay safe

The Philippines has  54 million Facebook users. And it’s still growing.

With growth comes the need to ensure that the social media mammoth remains a fun and safe place to connect with friends. This prompted Facebook  to underscore its commitment to privacy, safety and security by conducting media workshops across the country, including in Manila, Davao, and Cebu.

Mia Garlick, head of security of  Facebook Asia-Pacific, said it is important that users know how to protect their account and curate their own feeds.

Here’s a rundown of what you can do to create a safe space online, as told by the Facebook team:

• Use the “Safety Center” – Facebook’s new feature called  Safety Center  includes step-by-step videos to help people stay in control of their own accounts. It’s currently available in 50 languages, including Tagalog. In here, you can customize how you want your profile to look like for your family, friends, and acquaintances.
• Facebook’s  Bullying Prevention Hub  is available for everyone — The hub, developed with the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence, provides tools and guidance on how to prevent and address cyberbullying. Teens, parents, and even educators will find the hub useful in addressing any kinds of abuses online.
• Use the extensive controls – Despite the many controls offered by Facebook, not everyone knows how to use them. Don’t forget that you can choose the audience for anything you share through the use of  Activity Log.  For page owners, there are  Page moderation tools  that will enable you to filter profanity, block certain keywords, and even hide or delete comments. Facebook also offers the option of establishing a  legacy  contact, wherein a trusted family member or friend can manage your account when you pass away.
• Turn on  secure browsing  — By enabling this feature, Facebook will encrypt all activities where possible, making it harder for anyone else to access your Facebook information without your permission.
• We have  community standards  — Remember that you can  block,  unfollow, or  unfriend  someone who you think is posting disagreeable or disturbing content in your timeline. Garlick reminds netizens that we create our own feeds, and we have the power to create an online environment that we want to have.
• When all else fails,  report content  — The social network team works 24 hours a day and seven times a week to review reports and remove content themselves.  Don’t forget to document social media abuse.  One can also report a friend struggling with  suicidal thoughts, and the global team will be more than willing to help.

We are all tired of hearing this over and over again, but it is important to underscore the need to  have strong passwords. Facebook discourages netizens to use a universal password in all their social media accounts. This will prevent hackers to completely evade your privacy and safety.

Lastly,  there are things not meant for everybody.  This is why Facebook offers  encrypted messages.  These secret conversations enable users to set a timer to control the length of time each message we send remains visible within the conversation. Facebook recommends encrypting bank details, intimate photos, and other private content.

#StaySafe, everyone!