Default Email Address for Facebook Users Changed to @Facebook.com Address and How to Change It Back

by Deborah Gilbert-Rogers*

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Given its track record for transparency, it’s no wonder many Facebook users don’t trust the site on privacy issues. Still some Facebook users are in shock that the social media giant recently issued yet another change without first notifying its members.  

As reported by the Asheville Citizen-Times, “The latest kerfuffle is over Facebook’s decision to replace the personal email addresses on a user’s profile page with an @facebook.com email address. It coincided with a decision Monday by Facebook to halt testing – at least temporarily – of a feature called Find Friends Nearby, a location service that identifies other Facebook users in the vicinity.”

It’s unclear if Facebook intentionally left the part about users’ private email addresses being hidden out of the notification that told users they would be given a Facebook branded email address. Regardless, if you’re one of the nearly 900 million users opted in without consent, you’ll probably want to change your email display settings back.

Since Timelines have replaced profiles, changing your settings to display the email address of your choice and hiding the Facebook-assigned email can be a bit tricky. Here’s how to make the changes. (Note: There are a number of ways to do this, but this is how we did it.)

Step-by-Step for Removing/Displaying Email Contact Information on Facebook

1. Log into Facebook.
2. Click on your name in the upper right corner of the blue Facebook toolbar.
3. On your timeline, click on the gray “Update Info” button located to the right of your profile picture and bolded name. 
4. The Contact Info box displays all the screen names, websites, and email addresses Facebook has listed for you.
5. Click on the pencil/edit icon.
6. In the Email section, you will have the option to add/remove emails and to change the display and privacy settings for each email listed.
7. To the right of each email address there are two icons. The first icon (from the left) lists the settings for who can view the particular email address. Click on the down arrow to select which lists and users can view the email address.
8. The second icon gives settings for whether the email address is hidden on your timeline. The default on most addresses is “Hidden from Timeline.” But the Facebook assigned email address is defaulted to “Shown on Timeline.”
9. After the desired changes have been made, click Save.

What do you think of Facebook’s latest changes? Please leave a comment here on BurrellesLuce Fresh Ideas and let us know.

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Bio: After graduating from Rider University, where she received a B.A. in English-writing and minor degrees in Gender Studies and French, Deborah joined the BurrellesLuce Marketing team in 2007.  As a marketing specialist she continues to help develop the company’s thought leadership and social media efforts, including the copywriting and editing of day-to-day marketing initiatives and management of the BurrellesLuce Fresh Ideas blog. Facebook: BurrellesLuce Twitter: @BurrellesLuce LinkedIn: dgrogers