Facebook has not been having a good time in the public eye lately. Between the Cambridge Analytica scandal, the collection of Android phone data, and the #DeleteFacebook campaign, the company isn't looking well in the eyes of the public. Amid scandals, Facebook announced it would be changing the structure of its privacy settings to make it easier for users to access them.
Facebook is trying to win back the public by showing it cares about their privacy.
Revamped Privacy Settings
Facebook isn't adding any new privacy settings, but it is simply making it easier for users to find them. New changes for privacy and data won't be available immediately, but it will be released in the coming weeks, according to Facebook.
In its press release, Facebook states that it has redesigned its entire settings menu on the mobile app. Prior to the change, settings were found in multiple locations. Under these changes, all the settings will now be found in one place.
Facebook has also made a new Privacy Shortcuts menu. It says that this will give users greater control of their data, along with explanations on what the controls do. This ranges from what ads users see, the ability to add two-factor authentication, and controlling who sees a user's profile.
It's also made it easier to delete data from Facebook profiles. In a new hub, users can now use Access Your Information to manage posts, reactions, and comments. Facebook has also made it easier to download all the information that users have uploaded to the website.
Facebook hasn't added any new settings, but it has shuffled around existing settings so that users don't have to look up how to access their information.
Is This Enough?
Facebook has been apologizing since the 2016 election. First, it was for letting Russian hackers use the platform to influence the presidential election. Since then, the company has been on the backfoot. It has promised changes and has not stopped apologizing for everything that has happened since.
In the last few weeks, users and companies have been deleting their Facebook profiles in protest. It's doubtful that changing the look of its settings page will do anything to calm down users who have been upset with the way the company has been handling its data. Instead of adding new protections, it just shuffled around the existing ones that haven't been working.
While it seems Facebook is playing to the crowd, this may be a change that was prompted by its recent scandals and European privacy laws.
