Facebook’s privacy settings to change
Facebook’s privacy settings are changing — and it’s important to learn how those impact you.
This week the company started to ask its 350 million users to review, update and approve a new privacy policy. Facebook officials claim this updated policy (and settings) is simpler and easier to understand than the previous detailed, but complicated, privacy options.
Watch for the window to pop up the next time you log in. If you’ve missed it, you can change your privacy settings at any time by going to the Privacy page. Based on your previous settings, Facebook automatically recommends whether you should choose the new settings or keep your “old” settings. Note: So far I’ve heard that not all previous settings have moved over in the update.
Facebook officials claim the new settings give users more control over the information they share. For example, users will now have the option to decide who can see each update by selecting the audience of “Friends,” “Friends of friends” or “Everyone.” However, if you have a public profile, “Everyone” no longer means everyone on Facebook; it now includes everyone online (except for minors).
Some bloggers disagree that these changes promote privacy. “It’s not about privacy at all, it’s about increasing traffic and the visibility of activity on the site,” writes Read Write Web author Marshall Kirkpatrick.
What do you think? Here’s some additional reading:
New Tools to Control Your Experience by Facebook’s Ruchi Sanghvi
Facebook Will Be Google-able (If Your Profile is Set to Public) another post by Read Write Web’s Marshall Kirkpatrick
Amanda Maurer is a digital news editor at the Chicago Tribune, who specializes in social media. She blogs at acmaurer.com; you can also follow her on Twitter at @acmaurer.