Well just think before you upload a new cover photo on the recently launched Facebook Timeline profile. For those who don’t know, a cover photo is the new banner or header of your profile on Facebook. You can change it and upload a new cover photo or select from the existing photos anytime you want to.
But there’s a privacy bug (feature according to Facebook) in these cover photos. These cover photos are public and anyone on Facebook can access it and view or download your photo even in high-resolution. Moreover not just the current cover photo, but your whole cover photos album is public. Let’s have a look at few things you should know about these cover pics.
- Cover Photos are ‘Public’ and anyone on Facebook can see it.
- Not just your current cover photo, but your whole album is publicly visible.
- This album is visible to people in your restricted list as well.
- People can download or view all your cover photos.
- Unfortunately there’s no way of hiding a cover photo or its album. It’s public by default.
- You have to manually delete a cover photo to hide it from public.
Keeping these photos public isn’t a good idea and there should be an option of making this album private. I hope Facebook will change it after another legal action against them for invading user privacy.
Editor’s Note: We missed that Facebook informs about public status of a cover photo as cited by Dnyanesh Mankar. Still we feel that the entire album should not have been made public by default.
It’s not a bug. While uploading, Facebook clearly states that the cover photo will be public.
Yes but there should be an option of making it private. Also whats the use of making whole album visible to public?
Facebook will be able to answer that question correctly.
Here’s what I think:
If you were to make the cover photos private then the people who are not your friends won’t be able to view the cover pic on your profile which defeats the purpose of the cover photo feature.
Here making cover photo private means to make your cover photo album private not to hide the cover photo banner from your profile.
Just like showing current profile pic to non-friends is fine but opening whole profile pics album for public is not a good idea at all.
I get your point but don’t you think that all the pics in the cover photo album were once public. So what’s the point in making it private?
As a banner these pics are just 852X312px. but when u click on that pic you can download the pic in actual size which can be more than 2500X3600px. as well.
Secondly if a girl is using her own pic and someone tries to save it, if the album is not private he can save all the pics in just few seconds.
I am aware of that. Also, the girl should know that the cover photo she chooses to upload/set will be public and if she’s paranoid about her privacy then she won’t upload cover photos in the first place.
That’s why I wrote this post so as to make more and more people aware of it. And even if a girl is using her pic as cover and someone’s saving it then that will be a fault of Facebook not that girl. We can’t restrict anyone’s independence just because she’s a girl.Let’s hope fb will add a privacy option for cover pics.
So in your world, people shouldn’t be able to change their minds? I uploaded a photo of my kids, and then changed my mind about using it. I uploaded a new photo that I’m happy with, and am now having a heck of a time deleting the original photo from the Cover album. I get that you think the warning is enough, but that doesn’t cover the fact that my photos are mine, and I should be able to delete them from public view whenever I want.
Just click on the picture and look at the top right there is an round icon and you have the option to delete your picture.. I did it and it worked !!!
cheers
i agree i didnt realize that you couldnt delete the cover photos either now there public and i cant get rid of them so i might have to close account and re open one lata. face book time line sucks big time
I think you’re on the wrong tangent. I think you took this thing in the wrong way. The whole concept of the cover photo focuses on being public to each and every user. Also it clearly states that it’ll be public. So Facebook has already taken the efforts to notify the users that the pics will be public. The decision rests in the hands of the public whether to upload pics or not. It’s not an issue of a girl or a boy and nor of their independence. If someone is concerned about his or her privacy then he should not use it in the first place. Making cover pics private is like making profile pics private. Strangers won’t be able to see the cover pic so what’s the use of it? Once you’re friends with somebody, you hardly visit their profile. Facebook has hired a lot of smart people to work for them, they must have thought of it and then released it to the public.
I rest my case.
Again I am saying that the cover albums not the current pic should be private. And yes because of their (over) smart people facebook is facing thousands of legal user privacy issues. Check this for latest cases.
But what’s the point in making the album private? The pics were once public. I know that Facebook is engulfed in lawsuits concerning the privacy but the users should also know that: “If you are not paying for it, you’re not the customer; you’re the product being sold.”
i personally HATE the cover photos being public. And I know a lot of my friends feel the same way. Web designer here – you CAN find a way to put in a default cover for the public, while allowing friends only pictures. I’m thinking they just wanted to get timeline out the door as fast as possible, and were too lazy to try and put in a few things for those of us who truly relish and enjoy having a private side to facebook.
Just because YOU dont get why someone wants to be private, doesnt mean you shouldnt cater to them. Typical egotistical attitiude – put yourself in someone else’s shoes.
So true buddy, but some people don’t this PRIVACY thing. May be they like to save cover pics from other profiles.
Don’t like that people on my restricted list can comment on all my cover photos, click through them all, etc. If they are restricted, there is a reason, and they shouldnt’ be able to comment on the photos or click through past ones. The profile should be virtually static and unclickable for the restricted list. Facebook needs to change this.
True, whats the use of restricted lists then if people can still view your personal stuff!!
i hate cover pics being public now even strangers can view these defeating the purpose of making every thing else private,plus the risk of people creating a new profile with the aquired photos.facebook is a stupid idiot!!!
Yes its not at all a good idea to show your cover pics to everyone.
yea, why must i share all the cover photos to the public, even for those i restricted? where are all my privacy gone? whats with this stupid idea facebook comes up to?
is there any ways to disable the facebook timeline?
Ok for the public pic, but how can I prevent someone who’s not (anymore) a friend to write a comment in it??? Can’t find this privacy setting!
This options isnt available..
To delete any of ur photo in coverphoto or profile picture, just open the activity log on ur timeline. scroll down and look for the picture in the activity log page. right clik on the picture and clink open in new window. then u ‘ll see a deleting option below the pic…. delete it and enjoy….
have good time
tysm noman!!!
Thank you! Thank you, Noman!
Thank you very much…
You are an angel for me…
easy way is to click on gear on top right of page and select delete picture from the drop down list.
You should have the option, just like you have the option as to if your profile pictures album is public or not. I agree this needs to be fixed. Thanks for sharing.
@ Aldo & Me: my pleasure dudes
…. Stay blessed
Is there no possible way to remove a cover photo at all??? I really want to remove one of the pictures in that album, because my boyfriend doesn’t want his picture to be on facebook. Now I can’t even remove my own picture. Almost reason enough for me to delete my whole facebook account, because they keep on having privacy issues and I’m getting tired of it.
@ Pin,
Read my comment above…. i’m sure it will solve your problem
I don’t mind the pics being public, though as usual we ought to have the choice about this, its the fact that anyone can see likes and comments under the pics that concerns me. So I’ve just gone and deleted them all on mine.
How can u manually delete the pics in the cover photo . can you please tell me that ?
I just manually deleted them in the same way as any other pics in any other album.
After they was gone I could also delete the actual album , but it ‘magically’ came back, but it was still empty.
To delete any of ur photo in coverphoto or profile picture, just open the activity log on ur timeline. scroll down and look for the picture in the activity log page. right clik on the picture and clink open in new window. then u ‘ll see a deleting option below the pic.
is there anyway how to restrict the sharing feature of timeline pictures..?
Click the picture in the Cover Photo Album->Click Options->Delete Photo.