Facebook – How much time does Facebook need to verify the photo ID

Facebook has access to all friendship-data on their site, even if you lock down the privacy settings. As an addition many users share their contact-book or even e-mails with Facebook. Most peoples have filled out their profile quite decent so it has data about your school, your employer, your current place, your interests and so on. Although Facebook states it does not use it, they can track all users (and even non-users) across many websites via the "like"-button which is transcluded directly from Facebook.

From this data it can calculate this friend requests.

Check (and keep checking) the privacy settings on your account.

On this page: http://www.facebook.com/settings/?tab=privacy

Make sure that you only allow friends to see your data.

On this page: http://www.facebook.com/settings/?tab=privacy&section=apps

There's a "Public search" option - make sure that's set to disallow.

There's a option for "Information accessible through your friends" make sure that you clear all the check boxes on that dialog.

There's an "Instant personalisation" page - not available for all users as yet - but when it does become available make sure you clear that option too.

On this page: http://www.facebook.com/editaccount.php?ads

There are options for Facebook ads to use your data - clear both options.

You have to keep checking because Facebook regularly change the options and the defaults are to be more open than you would like.

Ultimately you are joining a site whose premise is the sharing of information. If you're not happy about sharing something - don't post it to the site, either directly or as a link. If you're not happy about sharing anything - then don't sign up!