Facebook has revamped its privacy options, and the good news is you’ll get more control than ever over what’s said about you, which pictures you’re tagged in, as well as who sees your posts, thanks to a system of categorising acquaintances like on Google+.
It’s a major overhaul, and while the company won’t admit it, tantamount to admitting its previous privacy controls were confusing, especially in the face of fresh competition from Google+. So even if you’re not using Google+ all that much, it’s proof competition is a very good thing.
Perhaps the biggest change to the privacy settings is that you’ll have the ability to confirm or deny that the person tagged is you before it appears in your profile. This is to stop malicious tagging; that picture of a warthog you ‘hilariously’ tagged as your friend? Yeah, that won’t be happening any more. You’ll also be able to stealthily remove your tag from embarrassing pictures of you trying to dance before anyone sees it. You can ask the person who tagged you to remove it, or even block them from tagging you again. Perfect for getting rid of persistent offenders.
But there are plenty of more options too. You can choose who sees every single item you post online – just choose Public, Friends, or Custom. So if you’re writing a note about something a little… sensitive, let’s say, you can make sure only the correct people see it.
Universal tagging lets you tag anyone, not just your Facebook friends, opening up potential to embarrass those who thought they’d escaped by not being on Facebook. Though those on Facebook who aren’t your friends can choose to decline the tag. You can also add their geographic location when you tag them in all versions of Facebook, not just the mobile app as before. Also, Profile View lets you see how others see your profile, so you can make sure you’re coming across exactly as you want.
You can also alter who can see you status update after you’ve posted it, so no problem if you change your mind about that ‘edgy’ joke you thought was hilarious.
The changes come as a response to customers, according to Facebook. “You have told us that ‘who can see this?’ could be clearer across Facebook, so we have made changes to make this more visual and straightforward,” VP of Product for Facebook Chris Cox wrote in a blog post announcing the changes. “The main change is moving most of your controls from a settings page to being inline, right next to the posts, photos and tags they effect.
“A side benefit of moving most settings to inline controls is a much shorter and simpler Settings page,” he continued. “A bunch of settings that were there previously have been moved directly inline, and a handful have been replaced or removed.”
Cox told the BBC this didn’t mean the previous settings were confusing. “I don’t think the old controls were bad,” he said. “I just think the new ones are much better.”
But perhaps the first comment on the blog post sums it up: “Google Plus [sic] much?”
What do you think? Do you welcome these changes? Is Facebook playing catch-up to Google+? Let us know in the comments below.
