Respondents were next asked who they believed could view the personal content that they posted. 82% of participants answered that their postings were viewable to “only friends,” meaning only those Facebook users who have been personally added or accepted by the user. If this were true, it would seem users’ statuses, photos, and personal information would be relatively secure, as they would only be accessible to individuals that the user has confirmed
knowing. However, when respondents were asked how well they know their Facebook friends, 58% reported that they had one or more friends that they had never physically met. These users may be exposing their personal information to complete strangers, and unknowingly putting themselves at risk. What good is it if your privacy is set to “only friends,” if you don’t actually know all of the friends you accept?