Social networking giant Facebook is pushing ahead with what’s being called one of its largest privacy updates in company history.
In the past, the social network has been criticized for seeming to bury privacy settings in obscure menus. Now when users are tagged in a posting – such as a photograph or video – they will have the option to confirm or remove their identity before it appears on their profile.
According to the BBC‘s in depth look at the changes – a report that was actually more comprehensive than Facebook’s own description – it is hoped the new safeguard “will eliminate the problem of malicious tagging, which is often used by cyberbullies who add other people’s names to unpleasant images.”
Other modifications and upgrades include:
- In line controls – each item on a user’s wall has individual privacy options, such as public, friends and custom
- Tag takedown – the ability to remove tags of self, ask the person who tagged you to remove it, or block the tagger
- Universal tagging – users can tag anyone, not just Facebook friends. Other person can choose not to accept the tagged post on their profile
- Location tagging – geographic locations can be added in all versions of Facebook, not just mobile app
- Profile view – the option to see how others view your profile is added above the news feed
“These changes will start to roll out in the coming days,” Facebook announced on its official blog. “When they reach you, you’ll see a prompt for a tour that walks you through these new features from your homepage. In the meantime, you can read more about the upcoming changes from the links throughout this post. We’ll look forward to your feedback on all of this.”
