The June 2010 Facebook Privacy Changes

Facebook has changed their privacy controls yet again, but not to worry, we have all you need to know about navigating the new controls.  Facebook made these new updates in response to members’ increasing concerns about privacy and the complexity of Facebook’s privacy controls.

The controls are now streamlined for members to more easily opt-out of third-party sharing and even to set all profile information with just one click to be visible to Everyone, Friends, or Friends of Friends. However, it still takes some time to customize these settings and to understand the many new ways your information can be shared.

Facebook is no longer a self-contained social networking site. With “social-plugins” and the new Instant Personalization Pilot Program, members can now link the social networking features of their Facebook account with participating sites all over the web. As a result, there are new privacy controls that affect all members.  It is especially important to update your settings because as Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg says, “the default is social.”

Members are automatically participating and sharing information with applications, partner websites, and advertisements by default. If you want to have more control over your privacy, you need to customize how the following information is shared:

1. Basic Directory Information: who can search for you on Facebook, and how much of your information is displayed to those people if they search for you
2. Sharing on Facebook: what can be seen about your Profile and Facebook activity
3. Applications and Websites: what Applications, Games, and Websites can see about your Profile and what your Friend’s Applications Games, and Websites can see about your Profile
4. Advertisements: what Facebook and third-party companies can display about your Profile and activity in advertisements

Go to our June 2010 Facebook Privacy Changes lesson to learn how to set your privacy controls. We will continue to keep you updated on any additional changes Facebook makes through our blog. Also, we’re in the process of updating our Facebook 101 tutorial to include these new changes.