Facebook updates privacy tools, making it easier for users to control their data

FACEBOOK must be feeling super guilty about all the Cambridge Analytica stuff, especially judging by its latest announcement.

The social network has revealed in a blog post that it has updated its security processes, making it easier for users to check what data they are sharing and how to better control it.

"Last week showed how much more work we need to do to enforce our policies and help people understand how Facebook works and the choices they have over their data," said the firm's VP and Chief Privacy Officer of Policy, Erin Egan, and VP and Deputy General Counsel, Ashlie Beringer.

"We've heard loud and clear that privacy settings and other important tools are too hard to find and that we must do more to keep people informed. So in addition to Mark Zuckerberg's announcements last week - cracking down on abuse of the Facebook platform, strengthening our policies, and making it easier for people to revoke apps' ability to use your data."

It has done this is by redesigning the entire settings menu on mobile devices from top to bottom to make things easier to find. So instead of having settings spread across nearly 20 different screens, they're now accessible from a single place.

"We've also cleaned up outdated settings so it's clear what information can and can't be shared with apps," the pair added.
There's also a new Privacy Shortcuts menu, which is now much easier to find. The menu, which gives users control over their data in just a few taps, now has clearer explanations of how our controls work.

"The experience is now clearer, more visual, and easy-to-find," they added.

Other updates include an ability to make your account more secure by adding more layers of protection, like two-factor authentication, a change in how Facebook manages the information it uses to show you ads, and new tools to find, download and delete your Facebook data. 

"Some people want to delete things they've shared in the past, while others are just curious about the information Facebook has, so we're introducing Access Your Information - a secure way for people to access and manage their information, such as posts, reactions, comments, and things you've searched for," they said, explaining that you can go here to delete anything from your timeline or profile that you no longer want visible on Facebook.

The pair added that the social networking giant is also taking additional steps "in the coming weeks" to put people more in control of their privacy, including making it easier to download the data you've shared with Facebook

"You can download a secure copy and even move it to another service," the Facebook privacy employees added. "This includes photos you've uploaded, contacts you've added to your account, posts on your timeline, and more. µ

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