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Ask an expert: I have tried to make my IP address and location not visible on Facebook, but under Security settings, active session it still shows and won't let me delete or edit it. Could you help me please?

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Zoe E Breen Zoe E Breen | 15:45 UK time, Friday, 10 February 2012

Answered by our panel of experts:

This information is indeed visible on Facebook, but it is only visible to you as the user of the account. The main purpose of this type of information is for security purposes as it shows how many active sessions there are open on your Facebook account.

Many young people complain about being "fraped" (often by their friends) which is the process whereby someone else alters your status without your permission. This most commonly happens because a user hasn't logged out of Facebook or because someone else (usually a friend) knows their password. Users are able to close the active sessions that they are no longer using.

I appreciate that this information being visible may concern you, but it is really there as added security and provided that no one else is able to use our account it will be secure. By collecting the IP address and location of each device which is logged into your account, Facebook provides an opportunity for a user to tell whether or not their account is being compromised.

A pupil in a school recently told us that she knew someone else was accessing her account and when she checked in the security settings (as you've described) she discovered that her cousin in a different part of the UK was accessing her profile.

She had spent the weekend there and closed the browser without logging out of her social networking site, so her cousin was able to access her content. If you are concerned about logging in from a public location you can access Facebook securely via https://www.facebook.com (this can be set as the default in the security menu), this will not hide your IP address though.

If you are a parent and are worried about your teen or child over-sharing online visit the Share Take Care: Ask an expert page to read the advice our panel of experts gave other parents.

Visit the Share Take Care website for more information on help and support for parents.

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