Outlets everywhere buzzed when Mark Zuckerberg revealed his plan to make Facebook a more direct-message focused platform, emphasizing encryption and privacy earlier last month. The Facebook CEO has been under intense scrutiny in the public eye for the gross mismanagement of user’s confidential information in the past year (CNN Business).

When an application you use daily to reach your audience and promote your products is surrounded with such controversy, the question of your account information’s security becomes paramount. Even further, how do you keep your account safe? What information of yours can this platform access? The steps to securing your personal information can be complex, but don’t panic. You’ll find the answers to these questions for Facebook and more in easy-to-understand terms below.

As we discussed earlier, Facebook has been the subject of much dissension recently. After it was revealed that Facebook was accumulating user’s data and using it to attract advertisers at cost, the general public has become more cautious about what information they let the platform access. Here’s what you need to know about Facebook and its privacy settings.

You can choose which audience sees your posts on an individual basis. If you have a public Facebook page, but only want certain friends to see your post, you can modify your settings and do just that. Each time you create a post, whether on mobile device or PC, there is an option that lets you choose who views your content. You can choose to share with your friends list, exclude certain friends from seeing your post, make a list of friends you would like to share your post with, share to certain groups you are a part of, or keep your post for just you to see. If you’re unsure of how to create a post, you can learn all about how to use Facebook and it’s new updates here.

You can choose which audience sees your information, if any audience at all. Under “Settings,” upon selecting “Privacy Shortcuts,” Facebook walks you through your current privacy settings which allows you to modify them as you go. Once you get to “Profile” you will see all of the contact and personal information you listed when creating your account. Beside each piece of information, there is a drop-down menu which allows you to choose from the same options you get for creating a post just like we talked about above.

You can choose which applications have access to your Facebook account. Through cross-platform compatibility, you are able to create an account on a plethora of applications by simply logging in via Facebook. If you decide that you no longer want Facebook to access the information of your other accounts, at this step in the “Privacy Shortcuts” process, you can opt to remove their information from your profile. You can also choose, as the steps listed above, who in your audience can see that you’ve accessed those applications through Facebook.

You can no longer opt to make your entire profile private, but instead you have to go through your settings to set each function accordingly. Making a private account might not be ideal for an author. In this case, it is a good idea to have a personal Facebook profile and an author profile. If you want to find out how to do that, check out our blog post on the process and general social media privacy decorum here. Stay safe, and better protect your privacy equipped with these new tools!