When you type your first and last name into a search engine, it is very likely that one of the first visible results is… your Facebook profile! However, this data does not necessarily put us at an advantage, especially when faced with an employer. But how can you hide this page?
When you type your first and last name on the Internet, out of simple curiosity or to check that nothing suspicious is hanging around about you on the Web, your Facebook profile often appears among the searches, provided that you have one, even if it is private. And sometimes it is even the photo of your Facebook page that is shown as the first suggestion on Google Images. Suffice to say that these elements do not always show us off and can even discredit us in the eyes of a recruiter…
Good news: it is possible to make your profile invisible on search engines! But how do you do it? Simply deindex the page via the Facebook app or website. If you are on mobile, you must first be logged into your account, then click on your profile picture at the top right.
A drop-down menu will then open, which you need to scroll down to click on the “Settings and privacy” option. In the “Settings” section, you will find the category “How others can find and contact you”. You will then simply need to deactivate the option “Do you want search engines outside of Facebook to display a link to your profile”. And if you are on your computer, the procedure is practically the same. A rather simple manipulation, then!
Please note, however, that some information about your profile may still appear in results in Google, Bing or any other search engine, which have already archived this data. In addition, your friends and family will still be able to access your Facebook page by typing your first and last name directly on the site.
But this aforementioned method is still useful to remove links to your profile and thus prevent access to your Facebook page via the said search engine. Finally, there remains the most radical method in the event that you no longer use the social network created by Mark Zuckerbeg: completely delete your account…