Facebook is going to make it easier to download and delete your details and content from the site, and limit how much of your data the company can use for ad targeting.
The social media firm says most of the planned updates − which will roll out over the coming weeks − have been in the works “for some time”, but have taken on a new level of importance in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
The site is redesigning its Settings menu on mobile, creating a new Privacy Shortcuts menu and making it easier to download or delete the data you’ve shared on the platform.
Related: How to delete your Facebook account
Old Settings menu vs New Settings menu
The new Settings menu will be easier to navigate and understand, and Facebook says it has “cleaned up outdated settings so it’s clear what information can and can’t be shared with apps”.
It has also created a new Privacy Shortcuts menu “where you can control your data in just a few taps, with clearer explanations of how our controls work”. It should also make it easier to manage the information Facebook uses to show you ads.
Facebook has built a feature called Access Your Information too, which will let you quickly delete anything from your timeline or profile that you no longer want on Facebook, and view your posts, reactions, comments, and things you’ve searched for.
The Access Your Information page
“Last week showed how much more work we need to do to enforce our policies and help people understand how Facebook works and the choices they have over their data,” wrote Erin Egan, Facebook’s VP and chief privacy officer for policy and Ashlie Beringer, the company’s VP and deputy general counsel.
“We’ve heard loud and clear that privacy settings and other important tools are too hard to find and that we must do more to keep people informed.”
They added: “In the coming weeks, we’ll be proposing updates to Facebook’s terms of service that include our commitments to people. We’ll also update our data policy to better spell out what data we collect and how we use it. These updates are about transparency – not about gaining new rights to collect, use, or share data.”
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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.
