Archive for December, 2009

It’s been a day since Facebook overhauled its privacy policy, and if you’re anything like me, your news feed is inundated with complaints, confusion, and furor.  I’ve read a lot of misinformation as to what Facebook is up to and what those concerned about their Facebook privacy should do, so here’s a quick aggregation of what I’ve read and learned over the last few days:

What Facebook did: On December 9, Facebook began rolling out a privacy overhaul.  The evidence:  A recent letter from Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook’s CEO…and the banner that will appear on top of your page announcing the new privacy settings once the rollout reaches you.

What Facebook really did: Facebook’s new privacy settings are the social networking juggernaut’s entry into the world of public sharing.  The evidence?  More of your information is defaulted to be shared with “Everyone.”

What “Everyone” means now: NEWS ALERT – “Everyone” in Facebook now includes Google and the rest of the world.  I repeat:  “Everyone” really does equal “everyone.”  If information is tagged for “everyone,” that means that Joe Blow and his mom can read it…even if it’s a status update, photo post, or comment that used to be hidden under your Facebook veil.

Two other important privacy changes: Facebook has eliminated your option to allow applications to access or not access your personal information.  Using an application now defaults to allowing access.  In addition, Facebook does not give you any way to control access to pages you’ve become a fan of.  Hence, if you are a private fan of a pro-choice organization but present a pro-life face to the world, or would die if your mom found out you’re a rabid fan of naked Frisbee, expect that information to be loud and clear from now on.  Moral:  Friend, fan, and use applications wisely!

What you can do: If you object to any information being shared or indexed on Google, go ahead and set all of your privacy settings to “friends” or “friends of friends,” whichever level you’re comfortable with  (You can find these controls at Settings/Privacy Settings/Profile Information).  Don’t forget that Facebook’s new settings also affect your photos.  Also, you may want to uncheck the little check box reading “Public Search Results” under Settings/Privacy Settings/Search.

The silver lining (sort of): Along with these freaky, Big Brother-esque changes, Facebook has launched one long-sought-after tool:  the ability to determine what level of access you want to give to any individual piece of content.  Now, if you are planning a suprise party for a friend and want venue suggestions from other friends, you can block the birthday boy from seeing your post while allowing others access.  To make use of this feature, hit the little “lock” icon at the bottom of your status update box and choose accordingly.  Note:  this feature does not appear to be rolled out in its entirety yet, but stay tuned over the next days.

Still confused about Facebook’s new privacy settings?  Find good rundowns and rants at Mashable and the Electronic Frontier Foundation.  Happy (safe) socializing!

Image courtesy of ardenswayoflife