Facebook Making More Privacy-Friendly Changes

Facebook today is announcing two important new steps that should make a big difference for users.

First, for new Facebook users, the default audience of their first post will be set to Friends. Previously, for most people, it was set to Public.

Additionally, for people already on Facebook, a new and expanded “privacy checkup” tool will take users through a few steps to review things like who they’re posting to, which apps they use, and the privacy of key pieces of information on their profile.

These changes come on the heels of the social media giant rolling out a new opt-in location feature, warnings to users who post publicly, anonymous log-in and new app controls.

We have been pleased to be able to provide input on privacy enhancing options to Facebook product managers and policy experts. It’s great to see the company really turning the corner on privacy and providing features and defaults that help ensure users are in control of their data. For Facebook to continue to grow and be used by users in new ways, users must feel confident that they are in charge of what they share, so these changes are certainly good for both the company and its users.