Facebook just made your private messages public—here’s what to do

Just one more security glitch for Facebook.

If you have any secrets you shared on Facebook in the past five years, you might have something to worry about. Reports suggest that private messages have just recently become available to the public—if you know where to look.

From 2007 to 2012, some private Facebook messages are now viewable on Timeline. They’re grouped alongside public wall messages, leading many users to believe they were just old comments.

Users now have to go to each year separately on Timeline, and hide the messages from public view. If your friends don’t hide them, though, they’re still publicly available.

Facebook is denying the breach of privacy. It says users are confusing public wall posts with private messages. This is in direct contradiction with users who claim to be finding their private messages on Timeline.

For now, many Facebook users are opting to simply deactivate their accounts until the website restores their privacy. You can hide your Timeline posts entirely by clicking on Privacy Settings, then on Timeline and Tagging. You can change settings to restrict who can view your posts, and who can post to your Timeline.