Article Blog #15

Source: http://www.readwriteweb.com/archives/how_facebooks_new_privacy_changes_will_affect_you.php

Support: http://www.guardian.co.uk/media/pda/2009/dec/02/digital-media-facebook-privacy-settings-open-letter-mark-zuckerberg-350-users

This article introduces Facebook’s new privacy changes and how it will affect you if you are currently a member. The social networking giant has improved its privacy settings, while making it easier for its members to understand what type of privacy setting is best for them. Facebook is going to make three key changes in the upcoming update of the website. The first being “No more regional networks”, which basically means that Facebook is going to demote all cities and regions from being considered networks because there were certain cities and regions that were millions strong. This is a good thing because it would mean that less people are able to view your profile that you were trying to share with your “network”. The second transition is going to be the ability to “Control who sees each piece of individual content you add or upload”. This essentially gives you an option of who can or cannot see your “status updates”. This is good because you can now choose whether you want a group of people to know where you are at or what you are doing, or have everyone know. The final key change is, “A simplified privacy page”. The privacy settings on Facebook can be tricky to get around, and can be a downright pain in the butt. According to CNN, “To make privacy simpler, Facebook's controls will be changed to permit sharing with three groups: "only friends," "friends of friends," or "everyone." In addition, the Privacy Page itself will be simplified to combine some settings which currently overlap” (cnn.com). Facebook is taking this privacy thing serious because they want to keep a positive public image.

I think that Facebook has made a good move by creating these new privacy updates, and I think that it can only affect the website in a positive way. The fact that they are the largest social networking site around, with over 350 million members, goes to show you just how much power they have over their competitors. MySpace, another social networking site, used to be the top dog until it got a bad name from rumors of having sexual predators lurking around. Facebook made a wise move by doing something about their privacy problems before it was too late, and even though it is usually the user that puts too much information up on the website. Mark Zuckerberg, the CEO of Facebook, had this to say about the upcoming updates, “We'll suggest settings for you based on your current level of privacy, but the best way for you to find the right settings is to read through all your options and customize them for yourself” (guardian.co.uk). As Zuckerberg said, it is up to you to decide what kind of privacy settings is the right one for you, and the websites suggestions can only do so much.