Facebook has quietly introduced a a new-look user interface on desktop, which also squeezes in a dark mode. Some users have now been granted test access to the new version of the site.
The redesign was first announced back in April 2019, and it isn’t clear why the site has taken so long to start rolling it out. The new version slightly changes the logo, making the blue background circular instead of square, and there’s a slightly lighter shade of blue too (via Cnet).
Related: How to delete a Facebook account
Those who have been invited to try out the new version of Facebook can also choose between the standard white background and the new dark mode background, similar to those that have become popular on so many other apps over recent months.
Here's a closer look at FB5, including Dark Mode for web, coming soon. pic.twitter.com/Z55iUOdekr
— Facebook (@Facebook) April 30, 2019
In its original April statement, Facebook said: “We just announced a fresh, new design for Facebook that makes communities as central as friends. FB5 is simpler, faster, more immersive and makes it easier to find what you’re looking for and get to your most-used features.”
Mobile users will see changes coome to the app on an on-going basis, with some already available. The desktop changes will be rolled out more gradually and should reportedly land at some point in the spring.
The redesign could be intended to give Facebook a new lease of life at a time when the vast majority of headlines the company has generated have been extremely negative. It wasn’t so long ago that Facebook founder, Mark Zuckerberg, seemed to claim that his social media platform could have prevented the Iraq War.
The company has also been roundly and repeatedly criticised on the basis of its dreadful track record with data privacy, though some of the company’s employees don’t seem to mind too much… with one recently referring to the Cambridge Analytica scandal as “a total non-event”.
Related: How to use Facebook Messenger without Facebook
The social network is clearly making concerted efforts to combat its badly damaged image, alongside the re-design Facebook representatives from Facebook took part in a panel speaking on privacy at CES 2020, in Las Vegas. Erin Egan, Facebook’s VP of public policy and chief privacy officer for policy, represented the company at CES.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.