Question from Mark: I read your blog post explaining why it’s a bad idea to log into third-party websites with Facebook.
That’s some pretty scary stuff.
My question is how can I see which websites have access to my information right now?
The reason I’m asking is because I’ve used Facebook to log into lots of websites in the past, and I’ve forgotten what most of them were.
Rick’s answer: That’s a great question, Mark. And after thinking about it I realize it’s something I should have covered in the original post.
I’ll go back and add the link to this post to that one.
To answer your question, it’s very easy to find out which websites have access to your Facebook data.
All you have to do is check the list of websites and apps you’ve logged into Facebook with.
Just follow the steps below:
1 – Log into your Facebook account with any web browser.
Note: If you use an Android phone or tablet you can use Chrome. If you use an iPhone or iPad you can use Safari.
2 – Visit this page on the Facebook website:
https://www.facebook.com/settings?tab=applications
Note: You can also access this page via the Facebook app’s Settings screen.
You should now see a list of all the third-party websites and apps that currently have access to your Facebook data.
To revoke access to your Facebook account for any website or app you see listed simply check the box at the far right and then click the blue Remove button located just above the top-right corner of the list.
And now, just this quick reminder…
Third-party websites aren’t the only things you need to be concerned with here.
Any apps on this list have access to your data as well.
That’s why I always recommend that folks avoid interacting with the quizzes and other apps that pop up in the Facebook Newsfeed on a regular basis.
Those quizzes and apps might seem harmless, but take a moment to think about why they were created. It certainly wasn’t to make a your day a little brighter.
They were actually created as a means to mine your Facebook data and send that info back to the company that created the app.
It’s important to remember that nothing you see on Facebook is truly free. Everything comes at a price, even if it appears otherwise.
And in the case of the vast majority of the apps you see on Facebook, the price you pay is the loss of your privacy and the risk of having your identity stolen.
I hope this helps, Mark. Good luck!
Update from Mark: That helps a lot, Rick. There were 37 websites and apps listed there. I removed them all!
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