I downloaded my Facebook archive, and liked what I saw

I have been on Facebook since before my first smartphone. I started in using a computer, and a browser. Then, when smartphones came along, I thought to myself, do I want Facebook to have all my information? Why, no, no I don't. However, I love posting on Facebook and I really love reading the posts from friends and family. How to solve this dilemma?

I never downloaded the Facebook app. I access Facebook exclusively through a browser at home, or a browser at work (I use one browser for work-related searches and a separate browser for Facebook, Gmail and Twitter). The browser has an adblock on it, of course. I wasn't prescient. It seemed completely clear to me that if Facebook asked for permission to see all my contacts and all the information in my phone including location, etc., it would look at all my contacts, and everything else it had permission to look at. For the same reason, I don't have any apps within Facebook, or connected to my Facebook account. Obviously I never use my Facebook account to log into other websites.

Therefore, my Facebook index contains the cute photos I've posted over the years, and all my posts, which I enjoy re-reading, and copies of my messages back and forth with friends, and few surprises. A page of ads (I guess I clicked on Viking Cruises once).

If you ask, why didn't you tell me this was the safe way to use Facebook, all I can tell you is, I preach it constantly to my family and bore my friends about it. Family considers me "paranoid" about privacy protection. I consider myself cautious. It does mean I have to take 2 steps to post pictures (upload from phone to saved online location, upload from location to Facebook). But friends, I think you're worth it.


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