Facebook launches features to give users more control

The social network has also relaunched the Groups feature so people can create groups of friends to send status updates and information to, rather than sending it to their entire friends list.

Facebook said it launched the new version of Groups as a result of user demand for more control over who they post information to.

Mark Zuckerberg, founder of Facebook, said, “We’ve long heard that people would find Facebook more useful if it were easier to connect with smaller groups of their friends instead of always sharing with everyone they know. For some, it’s their immediate family and for others, it’s their fantasy football league, but the common concern is always some variant of, ’I’d share this thing, but I don’t want to bother 250 people. Or my grandmother. Or my boss’.”

Facebook is also allowing users to download all the information they have ever uploaded to the site, be it photos, status updates or messages and conversations with friends.

The feature is being rolled out to all users gradually but it will allow people to download the information from the settings menu after confirming passwords and answering security questions.

The final update is the launch of a new dashboard for applications, which Facebook hopes will allow more transparency around how users’ data is being used by third parties via the apps.

“We’ve heard loud and clear that you want more control over what you share on Facebook – to manage exactly who sees it and to understand exactly where it goes. With this new Groups experience and the other tools we’re rolling out today, we’re taking a few important steps forward towards giving you precise controls. We hope these tools bring you more confidence as you share things on Facebook, and that your experience grows richer and more real as a result,” said Zuckerberg.

This story first appeared on newmediaage.co.uk