Facebook simplifies privacy settings following international pressure
Facebook has reiterated its pledge to protect user information after simplifying its privacy settings.
The social network, which has approximately 400m worldwide users, has stripped back its privacy controls to let members makes changes to their settings more easily and quickly.
All settings are now found on one page, with the steps to make all information private reduced from 50 to under 15.
It has also made it easier for users to opt of settings which would allow third-parties to use member information, while a member’s settings will be applied to any new application added to the site.
Amendments to Facebook’s privacy policy will also happen less regularly, the company also said.
It follows concerted international pressure from members and privacy groups saying that Facebook has an increasingly complicated privacy policy.
Earlier this week Facebook founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg said the company had “missed the mark” with its privacy policy, but speaking at the company’s headquaters in Palo Alto last night he said the new changes would address concerns.
“We listened to the feedback that we got, and we agree with it. We’re really going to try to not have another backlash,” he said.
Zuckerberg said Facebook consulted with leading international privacy bodies, as well as US senators, ahead of the changes.
Facebook is by far the UK’s leading online display ad publishers, accounting for almost a third of the UK market, according to ComScore’s Ad Metrix. The research company’s latest data revealed the social network serves 30.4% of all display ads in the UK, up from 21.6% a year ago.
Brands including Betfair and Vodafone are significantly increasing marketing activity on the network, while Facebook pages are increasingly replacing campaign sites for online branding activity.
This story first appeared on newmediaage.co.uk
