Facebook has come under fire recently, after it was revealed that it grants third-party apps and services certain access to user data without their consent. A wave of backlash ensued, with many users deleting their accounts, and companies terminating their ties with the social network giant. Facebook’s stock plummeted, and the incident even warranted an investigation from the Federal Trade Commission. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg has apologised afterwards and vowed to safeguard users’ privacy. Well, the company has now announced what it’s CEO promised, though it may still not be sufficient.
Facebook has announced a new set of changes to help users find and change their privacy settings. The new changes also allows users to download and delete the data they have shared on the social network. Now as you see, I said changes, and that means many of these settings and features already existed in Facebook. Facebook has just made them significantly easier for users to find and use.
Redesigned control settings
Facebook has completely redesigned its settings menu for mobile, consolidating all the major control settings at one place. Earlier, they were spread across 20 sections, making it hard to find what you were trying to change. Facebook also claims that it has cleaned up outdated settings to make it clear what information can and can’t be shared with apps.
New privacy shortcuts
Responding to user demands, Facebook has made information about privacy, security, and ads should be much easier to find. With the new Privacy Shortcuts, you can control your data quicker, with clearer explanations of how those controls work. There’s also a link to help you control what and how you share on the site — that is, the setting of “public, friends only, and friends of friends.” Again, this control has been there in Facebook for years, but the new changes just makes them easier to understand and use.
Download and delete Facebook data
Facebook, in a bid to gain back user’s confidence, now lets them to see and manage their own information. “Some people want to delete things they’ve shared in the past, while others are just curious about the information Facebook has,” writes Erin Egan, VP and Chief Privacy Officer, Policy and Ashlie Beringer, VP and Deputy General Counsel.
So Facebook has introduced a secure way to access your information, such as posts, reactions, and comments, and manage them. You can delete anything from your timeline or profile that you no longer want on Facebook, directly from there. You can also download a copy of all the data you’ve shared on Facebook.
This has definitely been a new low for Facebook, but the size and stature of the company calls for a quick recovery and these changes might just play the catalyst for that.
