How to protect your privacy on Facebook

Facebook users have been warned about the dangers of allowing their personal content to be used by third party applications on the popular social networking site.

The Twittersphere has been ablaze in recent days with angry Facebook users seeking information about how to prevent the site using content from their profiles, such as photos to enhance the targeted ads in the sidebar, and the advertising placed in third party apps.

Trend Micro senior security advisor Rik Ferguson argued on the firm's CounterMeasures blog that if a user gives the application the right to access their info - which they have to on agreeing to install them - the ad networks that serve these adverts will have full access to profile data.

"That's how you might find yourself being the cover girl or poster boy for a product or service that you never intended to endorse," he added.

"Be careful which applications you add in the first place. If you find you are not using an application anymore, go ahead and remove it from your profile."

Ferguson added that many people aren't aware that their information can potentially also be exposed by their own friends, as any apps that they download will be able to crawl this information.