To tag or not to tag?

October 8, 2011 5:09 AM

Another question about new Facebook settings. Specifically, tagging woes.

Apparently now, when you "tag" a friend in a photo album regardless of your privacy settings, all of THEIR Facebook friends are able to "like" or comment on it (whether they can comment on just the photo, or the entire album, I am not sure).

This seems like a terrible invasion of privacy - I want to believe I've got it wrong! I am very private about my Facebook photos - they are restricted to certain friends only - yet recently they have been commented on by people I don't even know - Facebook friends of the people who are tagged in the photos.

Is there any way to restrict viewing only to the friend who has been tagged, and not their friends? Or is the answer simply not to tag your friends in photos etc at all?

posted by Ziggy500 to computers & internet (6 answers total)

Under "Privacy settings" under "How tags work" there's a setting that says "Maximum Profile Visibility of posts you're tagged in once they're on your profile" which you can set to your custom settings. What is this set on?
posted by bleep at 5:17 AM on October 8, 2011

Hi bleep. This is set to custom. As far as I can understand those settings only apply to other people tagging me - but I was more wondering about the other way round (me tagging other people). Not to threadsit - I'm going away now! :)
posted by Ziggy500 at 5:20 AM on October 8, 2011

I think that level of privacy needs to be added by the friend who is tagged. For example, under Privacy Settings > How Tags Work > Edit Settings, I have changed my Maximum Profile Visibility to Custom (a limited profile of friends). So if you tagged me in a photo, only that custom list of my friends could see your photo of me.

Essentially your privacy becomes irrelevant (not saying it should be that way, just that it seems to be that way) and the privacy onus is on the tagged person.

I don't know, however, what happens when there is a privacy conflict. For example, what if you tag two friends in one photo with similar friends lists, but one person has the privacy more limited than the other.
posted by dayintoday at 5:20 AM on October 8, 2011

But if you tag yourself, wouldn't that setting then apply? That way it becomes a "post you're tagged in" so only those people indicated should see it.
posted by bleep at 5:21 AM on October 8, 2011

Facebook uses "union" for tagging privacy, so it's the people you chose PLUS the people the tagged person chose PLUS the people the second tagged person chose... No way to get rid of people. Don't tag people if you don't want to share it with the world. (This also applies to other people adding tags on your posts, too!)
posted by anaelith at 8:29 AM on October 8, 2011 [1 favorite]

dayintoday: "Essentially your privacy becomes irrelevant (not saying it should be that way, just that it seems to be that way) and the privacy onus is on the tagged person. "

This.

FWIW, the "Tag Review" option in the "How Tags Work" setting is what determines whether a confirmation is or is not needed for things you are tagged in.
posted by mkultra at 5:49 PM on October 8, 2011