How to Secure Twitter and Facebook


HTTPS is used by many websites that require secure access, such as banks or online retailers. HTTPS ensures that any information you send to the websites stays private. Some social networks already use HTTPS whenever your password is transmitted, and recently Facebook and Twitter began expanding the use of HTTPS to help keep your data even more secure. If you want to use HTTPS while using these social networks, here’s how to secure Twitter and Facebook:

Facebook

1. Log in to Facebook
2. Click on the “Account” tab at the top right of Facebook; select “Account Settings”
3. Scroll down to “Account Security” – it is third from the bottom
4. Click on “Account Security”.
5. If you have the option, click the checkmark under the heading “Secure Browsing (https)”. If you do not have the option yet, you will only see “When a new computer or mobile device logs into this account”. Keep checking back for the option to log in to Facebook with HTTPS.

Once you opt to log in to Facebook with HTTPS, you may find that Facebook loads slower, as encrypted pages take longer to load. Also, some Facebook features can not be used when using HTTPS because they are not supported in HTTPS, such as many third-party applications.

Twitter

On Tuesday, Twitter also announced a new setting that allows you to use HTTPS when accessing Twitter.com. Users have been able to use Twitter via HTTPS by going to https://twitter.com for awhile now, but now there is now option to always use HTTPS at Twitter.com.

To turn on HTTPS at Twitter.com, go to your settings and check the box next to “Always use HTTPS,” which is at the bottom of the page. This setting is already the default for a number of clients and activities, whether or not you’ve enabled the “Always use HTTPS” setting. These scenarios include when you log into Twitter, so your password stays protected, and on the official Twitter for iPhone and iPad mobile application.

Turning on HTTPS in your settings on Twitter.com does not force HTTPS in some instances, such as when accessing Twitter from your mobile browser. You will need to go to https://mobile.twitter.com to use HTTPS for now. Also, Twitter advises that if you use a third-party application to tweet, you should check to see if that app offers HTTPS.


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