Facebook Tweaks Privacy Settings, Tries To Save You From Embarrassing Posts

Facebook, which hasn’t always been on top when it comes to privacy, has announced a few tweaks and improvements to its privacy settings.

The changes to privacy settings allow users to have fine grain control of who can see their posts. During a session on Tuesday, the company revealed that a significant amount of users, based on surveys, are surprised when their posts are seen by people they don’t know. Facebook’s privacy product manager Mike Nowak said:

“When people have an unpleasant surprise like this, it’s bad for them, and it’s bad for us.”

Nowak said that the company understands the some people have felt privacy on Facebook changes too frequently. Therefore, rather than adding more privacy controls, the company has decided to give existing controls more visibility.

Facebook’s mobile app recently received an update that moved the “audience selector,” a drop-down menu that shows who can see your updates, from the lower right corner to the very top, making it easier for users to see.

The company plans to roll out an update that lets desktop users actually see what “Public” and “Friends” mean (as pictured in the image above). Facebook also plans to roll out a “privacy Checkup” box to make sure people are sharing their posts with their intended audience. Nowak said:

“We just want to make sure that this is a thing they want to be doing and if not, then give them an opportunity to proactively change their audience.”

These tweaks are just a first glance at how Facebook intends to clarify its privacy settings. Currently, the company has over 19 million Canadian users and over 1.23 billion around the world.

[via The Windsor Star]