Imagine logging into your Facebook account and seeing every single photo (yes, even those photos) posted to your profile, visible to everyone. We received an email from Deborah, who experienced this exact nightmare.

I recently discovered that my Facebook account tricked me by giving them permission to access my entire camera roll on my phone. Everything in my photos was visible to anyone. I had taken photos of my bilateral mastectomy. When I clicked on photos on my FB page, I was surprised to see EVERYTHING. Now I will not upload any more photos to my phone (except) my profile picture.

There are a number of settings on Facebook that allow this situation to occur and can help you prevent it.

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How to prevent all your photos from being shared on Facebook

1) Camera roll permissions on Facebook

When you use the Facebook app on your mobile phone, Facebook will ask you to access your camera roll for photos and videos. This allows you to upload photos and videos from your mobile phone to your Facebook account. If you decide to share your photos and videos on your Facebook account, you have more options: you can give permission to share none, some, or all of your photos and videos. Therefore, it is important that you choose your preferred sharing option wisely and check it occasionally to make sure the permission setting still works for you.

2) Preventing unwanted access

If you want to prevent Facebook or any other app from accessing your entire camera roll, follow these steps (Before performing these steps, make sure your apps are updated):

On your phone:

• From your phone’s main screen, go to ‘Settings’
• Scroll down and tap “Data protection and security” (or a similar option, depending on your device)
• Knock ‘Photos’

• Knock “Facebook”
• Select the level of access you want to grant to your Facebook app (None, Restricted accessor full access)

In the Facebook app:

• Open the Facebook-App
• Tap the three horizontal lines or the Menu icon (depending on the device in the upper right or lower right corner)
• Tap “Settings and privacy”

• Tap ‘Settings’
• Select from the drop-down menu ‘Posts’ under “Audience and visibility”

• Under ‘Posts’you can select “Who can see your future posts?” by selecting the desired exposure level from the drop-down menu (e.g. Friends, Friends except…, Certain friends, Only me, Acquaintanceor Close friends)

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Review previously posted photos:

• Open the Facebook-App
• Select the photo that you want to check
• Tap the three points (top right, depending on your device)
• Tap “Data protection for post processing”
• Select the desired Degree of exposure You want (e.g. “Friends”, “Friends except” or “Only me”, etc.)
• Knock ‘Completed’ (top right, depending on your device)

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Third-party apps:

• Always check permissions to access camera roll or photo albums when using other apps (not just Facebook).
• Do not grant full access unless it is absolutely necessary for the functionality of the app

Even if you have set your permission preferences, it is a good idea to check your Facebook privacy settings regularly to make sure they match your preferences, especially when there are operating system or app updates.

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3) Exception for profile pictures

When in doubt, limit the number of potentially sensitive photos and videos on your Facebook account, other than your profile photo. This way, you don’t have to review each image individually and do damage control. You can upload individual photos at any time, making sure the privacy settings for each photo are what you want.

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Kurt’s key findings

Whether it’s the embarrassing number of selfies you’ve taken or sensitive photos you’ve taken and forgotten about, having all of your photos and videos on Facebook visible to everyone is quite a nightmare. Whether it’s Facebook or another app, it’s always a good idea to limit access to your camera roll and check the privacy settings in those apps. Remember, you’re not alone with technology and it’s commendable that you’re taking steps to protect your privacy.

Have you ever experienced a data breach on social media and how did you handle it? Let us know by leaving a comment below.

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