Facebook is under fire. After being caught leaking users' personal information to third-parties, it needs to do something fast. And one of the first things it has done, is revamping users' privacy setting.
After the Cambridge Analytica scandal emerged, Facebook said that it has "heard loud and clear" that it needs to make it easier for users to know how to control their own privacy settings and data.
CEO Mark Zuckerberg alluded to making privacy tools easier to access in his first public statement about the Cambridge Analytica situation. In the announcement, it was also stated that the company has worked with regulators, legislators and privacy experts on the tools and updates.
The updates to Facebook are meant for mobile and on the web, and have "have been in the works for some time," according to Facebook chief privacy officer Erin Egan.
The first notable update can be found in the redesigned settings menu on mobile devices. Here, instead of showing settings options that spread across different screens, Facebook is putting them all in one place. The design is also cleaned up from clutters and outdated menus.
This way, Facebook hopes that users can find the things they need faster and easier.
Then there is the Privacy Shortcuts menu. Facebook designed this to direct users into a place where they can look for information regarding privacy security and ads, "in just a few taps." The menu has also been redesigned to look clearer and simpler.
Here, users can also add more layers of protection to their account, such as two-factor authentication. Turning this feature on, Facebook will ask the person to confirm his/her identity whenever the account is accessed from unknown device.
Users can also control their personal information, and review whatever they've shared and deleted, if they want to. This includes posts that have been shared or reacted to, friend requests sent, and things they've searched for on Facebook.
The updated privacy settings also allow users to control ads they see. Here, users can manage the information Facebook uses to show ads.
Then there is the option to manage who sees users posts and profile information. Facebook highlighted that things that users share are not owned by Facebook, and here Facebook allows them to manage things like who sees their posts and the information they've chosen to include on their profile.
It all comes down to an area called Access Your Information. Here, users can access and manage their data - from posts, timeline memories, items on profile, comments, reactions, etc. - sot they can be deleted easily. There is also an option for users to download every single data they've shared on the site.
Using this feature, users can download a secure copy of photos uploaded, contacts, timeline posts, and more, "and even move it to another service."
And to wrap everything up, the company said that is's planning to update its terms of service to include "commitments to people," as well as update its data policy to "better spell out" what data is collected and how it's used.
The big privacy update has one goal: transparency, and "not about gaining new rights to collect, use, or share data."
As a workaround to the problem it has in recent times, Facebook is inside the crosshairs of many government institutes due to how it collects and manages personal information. And with the age of over-sharing, people are trusting Facebook less.
And here, updating its privacy settings for users is one of the ways to calm down the fire. Something it needs to do to prevent further damage to the company.