Facebook removes ‘Search by Name’ opt out setting: The implications and the reactions

The public control search feature in Facebook controls whether non-Facebook users can find your business profile if they enter its name in a Google search. By default, the public search feature is automatically enabled for accounts that belong to users over 18 years of age. However, disabling public search hides your Facebook profile from Google search listings. This privacy feature is useful for strengthening your account's security, so that only Facebook users will have a chance to find you.

Facebook removes ‘Search by Name’ opt out setting

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In a blog post Monday, editor-in-chief Danny Sullivan said that while doing a \"how do I\" search on Google he noticed that \"how do I delete my facebook account\" was one of the top suggested search topics.

Turning this setting on allows this optional diagnostic data to be shared with Microsoft from other applications using Microsoft Edge, such as a video streaming app that hosts the Microsoft Edge web platform to stream the video. The Microsoft Edge web platform will send info about how you use the web platform and sites you visit in the application to Microsoft. This data collection is determined by your optional diagnostic data setting in Privacy, search, and services settings in Microsoft Edge.

On Windows 10, these settings are determined by your Windows diagnostic setting. To change your diagnostic data setting, select Start > Settings > Privacy > Diagnostics & feedback . On all other platforms, you can change your settings in Microsoft Edge by selecting Settings and more > Settings > Privacy, search, and services . In some cases, your diagnostic data settings might be managed by your organization.

If you're having trouble with a particular online account, try searching online for "How to delete," followed by the name of the account you wish to delete. You should be able to find some instructions on how to delete that particular account. (Here's how to permanently delete your Facebook account without losing your photos.)

Now you could search for yourself on these sites and then deal with each site individually to get your name removed. Problem is, the procedure for opting out from each site is different and sometimes involves sending faxes and filling out actual physical paperwork. Physical. Paperwork. What year is this, again?

If you want to remove an old forum post or an old embarrassing blog you wrote back in the day, you'll have to contact the webmaster of those sites individually. You can either look at the About us or Contacts section of the site to find the right person to contact or go to whois.com and search for the domain name you wish to contact. There you should find information on who exactly to reach out to.

Let's say there's a webpage with information about you on it you'd like to get rid of -- like your former employer's staff page, months after you've changed jobs. You reach out to get them to update the page. They do, but when you Google your name, the page still shows up in your search results -- even though your name isn't anywhere to be found when you click the link. This means the old version of the page is cached on Google's servers.

When you click "like" on a product or page, Facebook can then use that information and your name and profile picture, to display targeted social ads on your friends' pages. Using personal information from your profile to target an audience raises privacy issues. Third-party advertisers can also use Facebook to promote their products by posting auto-generated advertisements. You may have noticed this when you do a search on Google for a product and see an ad for it appear in your Facebook feed.

Note: If you changed your visibility settings in a newer version of Skype, older versions may no longer accurately display whether you are opted out of search. Please update to the latest version of Skype or go to your Skype Profile on the web to get the most accurate view of your settings.

The Sell with Shop setting manages all the features that let customers purchase from your store on Shop. This includes the Shop Store, product detail pages, and checkout. This setting allows you to sell your products on the Shop app, and must be activated for your store to be discoverable in searches.

If your store meets the eligibility requirements in the Shop Merchant Guidelines, and you have the Shopping and Discovery settings activated in the Shop channel, then your customers can discover your Shop Store and the products in your store from the Search tab in the Shop app. By default, you're opted in to Shop search.

If you don't want your store and products to be discoverable in Shop, then you have the option to deactivate the Discovery setting. If you opt out of Shop search, then your Shop Store and products are removed from search results and Shop collections, which includes local discovery.

Between publicly available information and what we share on social networks, there's a lot of information about you available online. A quick search of your name can turn up some pretty surprising things, including your home address or old social media posts you'd rather not see the light of day. Websites that specialize in people searches, designed to help marketers advertise to you or to help old friends track you down, are the worst offenders. These sites often provide detailed personal information with the click of a button.

If you're a fan of Facebook, you may not want to completely lock down your account. In this case, you should still go to your privacy settings and select "No" next to "Do you want search engines outside of Facebook to link to your profile?" This will keep your Facebook posts off search engines for more privacy (read our complete guide to Facebook privacy settings).

Go to the BeenVerified opt-out page and search for your listing by providing your first and last name and state. Click on the arrow to the right of your profile. Enter your email, check the "I'm not a robot box," and click the "Send Verification Email." You'll receive an email with a link you need to click to confirm your opt-out.

Go to the FastPeopleSearch Removal page and check the "I am a human" box. Complete the Captcha. Enter your email, check the box agreeing that you are removing your own record, check the box "I'm not a robot," and click on the "Begin Removal Process." Enter your name and zip code and click on the "Free Search" box. Click on "View Free Details" on your profile. Click on "Remove My Record." You will receive an email to perform the final removal and your profile should disappear from search within 72 hours.

Search for your listing from the Instant Checkmate Opt-Out page, which requires just your first and last name. Click on "Remove this record." Input your email, check the "I'm not a robot" box, and click on the "Send Confirmation Email" button. You will receive an email to perform the final removal and your profile should disappear from search within 48 hours.

Well unfortunately none of that long list of items are available under the general tab there are only 6 items there; name, user name, contact, add account contact, memorilization settings and identity confirmation. I am not sure why you would make up a bogus list of settings that do not exist.

Because Google is behind some of the largest web-based services in the industry (YouTube, Waze and Google Chrome, to name a few) the changes you make to your Google account ad settings will make a major impact on the ads you see overall.

Minc Law Reputation Management Tip: If you need to suppress negative search results, one simple tactic is to create social media accounts. When someone searches your name, your social media accounts will be the first results that appear. You can also write articles or even self-publish books that help you establish leadership within your industry.

• Privacy setting shortcut icon: Facebook users now access privacy settings by drilling down from the "Settings" menu in the upper right corner. A new icon, with only the most commonly used privacy options, will get its own icon in the upper right corner. The options in the icon include: "Who can see my stuff;" "Who can contact me;" and "How do I stop someone from bothering me?" It'll also contain a magnifying glass symbol for looking up help in controlling privacy settings. "It has a lot of potential for users. But I'm not sure most people will think to click on it," says Rainey Reitman, activism director for the Electronic Frontier Foundation.

• Timeline available to public: Users have been able to hide their timeline by opting out from public search results within the Facebook website. Facebook has been gradually eliminating this ability to opt out and says it'll continue the effort, making your timeline viewable for those who search for it. Facebook says users can still remove any content from Timeline. "I'm always concerned when users make an affirmative action to protect privacy, and that option goes away," Reitman says.

• New placement for the Privacy Settings page: For options beyond the ones available in the shortcut icon, users will have to get to the Privacy Settings page, which will get a new placement. Instead of being one of the options in the "Settings" drill-down menu in the upper right corner, it'll be listed below the "Security" option under "Account Settings" When asked if the new placement would make finding Privacy Settings difficult, Lessin says grouping "security" and "privacy" is more intuitive and that most of the commonly used privacy options are available under the new icon. "I'd argue it's more accessible," he says.

• App permissions: Currently, Facebook users answer one question to allow third-party apps to access their personal information and to give permission to the app for publishing to your friends on your behalf. When the changes are implemented, the two questions will be separate. "I give them some credit (here)," says Marc Rotenberg, executive director of the Electronic Privacy Information Center, adding this is an area his organization has advocated for improvement.

• Clearer explanation: Facebook will add more explanations about where your information is available throughout the pages. For posts that are hidden from Timeline, it'll let users know that they still appear in search, news feed and other places in Facebook.

• Tagging removal: Users who are tagged in photos by a friend but want to remove them can make the request directly under the "Activity Log." Go to the "Photos of you" option and have them untagged and/or taken down.

• Updates to Activity Log: Facebook also added new navigation tools to the Activity Log for looking up your own activity, including your likes, comments and photos. You can also sort information more easily in the updated format, such as photos you're tagged in.

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