One of the latest “Hacks” on Facebook is getting your Facebook account cloned. These so called “hackers” will steal your public profile Photo and create an account with your name. They will then go to your account and start adding all your current friends to this new “cloned” account and then start communicating with your friends. Your friends will think they are talking to you and could give up private information that the hackers can use against you. To avoid all of this happening, the best move you can do is change the privacy settings within Facebook so that only you can see who you are friends with. This will stop the “hacker” from being able to add your friends, since they won’t be able to see them. It discourages then from cloning your account since they won’t be able to get anything out of it.
It can be tough to keep your personal information private online, but just a few clicks can keep your Facebook information from prying eyes. If you want to keep strangers (or even friends) from trawling through your Friends list, it’s simple — as long as you know where to look. Here’s how you can hide your Friends list on Facebook.
FYI – Facebook is constantly changing its user interface, so the below options might not be accurate, but you should be very similar. If you notice a change, please contact me so I can update this post and help others avoid Facebook account cloning.
Configure your Facebook Friends list from your Computer
The instructions (and your options) are a little different whether you’re viewing Facebook on a web browser. While you can access the basic options from either, the website will let you completely customize who can see your Friends list. Here’s how to do it:
- Open Facebook from your web browser.
- Click the profile photo in the upper right to open the menu, then select “Settings & privacy.”
- Select “Settings & Privacy.”
- Click “Settings”
- Click “Privacy” in the left-hand column.
- In the “How People Can Find and Contact You” section, select “Who can see your friends list?” Click it.
- In the drop-down menu, select who you would like to see your Friends list. Select one option from this list:
- Public: Anyone can see your Friends list
- Friends: Only your Friends can see your Friends list
- Friends except: All Friends except the Friends you selected
- Specific friends: Only Friends you’ve selected
- Only Me: Only you can see your Friends list
- Custom: You can select exactly who can and can’t see your Friends list. When you click Custom, you can enter specific lists or names under “Share with” to let them see your Friends list or “Don’t share with” to prevent them from seeing your Friends list. When you’re done, click “Save changes” to save your custom settings
- Click “Close” on the right to save your settings
Configure your Facebook Friends list from your phone or tablet
Setup on mobile is similar but offers different customization options. Instead of creating a completely custom list of people who can view your Friends list, mobile offers a few extra pre-configured options. Here’s how to change the visibility of your Friends list from your iPhone or Android device:
- Open the Facebook app.
- Tap the menu icon (it looks like three horizontal lines) which is in the upper right for Android or in the lower right for iPhone.
- Tap “Settings & Privacy.”
- Tap “Settings.”
- Under “Audience and Visibility,” tap “How People Find and Contact You.”
- Tap “Who can see your friends list?” You’ll see a few options and can click More > See All for a full list of options. Select one option from this list:
- Public: Anyone can see your Friends list
- Friends: Only your Friends can see your Friends list
- Only you: Only you can see your Friends list
- Friends except: All Friends except the Friends you selected
- Specific friends: Only Friends you’ve selected
- Specific lists: Next you’ll see groups of people listed, like close Friends or Friends in your area. Exactly what shows up here will vary but will include lists of people you’re associated with. If you’d like to select more than one list, you can do so using the custom option on the website.
- If you’ve selected Friends Except or Specific Friends, you need to click Done once you’ve selected the people you want to have access to your Friends list.
- Click the back button in the upper left to save your options and return to settings
While this will hide your Friends list, there are a few ways people can still uncover a few of your Friends. When people visit your profile, they may see Friends you have in common. Plus, if your Friends have public Friends lists, you’ll be visible there. Changing your own Facebook privacy settings will help you lock down your privacy, but if your Friends haven’t done the same, they may be able to piece together some clues with a simple search.
