Facebook has been working on providing an HTTPS Account Security setting for some time now.  It is a feature which has not been rolled out to all accounts everywhere as of yet, but you should check to see if it is available to you and if so, enable it.

Why?

HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure) provides an addition level of security for your private information through encrypted communication and secure identification.  This is the same level of security you use when you perform payment transactions online with a credit card or visit your bank account.  This is accomplished by combining Secure Socket Layer and Transport Layer Security Protocols with Hypertext Transfer Protocol.

Gibberish, right?

It simply comes down to this: when you enter private and sensitive information (password, phone number or anything personal) on an HTTPS site, this information is encrypted so that anyone utilizing eavesdropping techniques are limited in their ability to access it.  Also, the identity of the site itself is verified as genuine by the use of “certificate authorities,” giving you assurance that you have not been redirected to a counterfeit site.

So now that we have established a good reason to enable HTTPS on our Facebook page, how do we do it?

It is very simple.  Open your Facebook page.  On the upper right corner you will find the “Home, Profile and Account” commands.  Click on “Account.”  From the pull down menu click on “Account Settings.”  On the “My Account” page make sure you have the “Settings” tab selected.  Scan down the page to the “Account Security” line and click on “change.”  Check the box for Secure Browsing (https) and while you are there also check the box to have an e-mail sent to you anytime a new computer or mobile device is used to log into your account.  Click on “Save.”

You are done, and your Facebook page is now far more secure than it was.