Facebook has today launched a significant privacy-led revamp of the social networking site in a move that's being interpreted as a direct response to the threat posed by Google+.
The site said the changes, designed to make it easier for users to control what personal details are revealed on the site and to whom, would be rolled out to users "in the coming days". Rectifying a major privacy flaw, Facebook users can now approve photos they are tagged in before they appear on their profile
Google+ is still in its early stages - 25 million members at last count compared to Facebook's 750 million - so Facebook isn't in immediate danger but many have remarked about how the Google social network, by grouping friends in "circles", makes it easier to control who you share with.
Tiphereth Gloria, social media strategist at George Patterson Y&R, said Facebook had finally taken onboard criticisms around the clunkiness of its privacy settings.
She said the changes were a way of rectifying some of the privacy issues that resulted from modifications to the Facebook platform including in 2009 which saw much private information become public by default.
"It puts the content sharing or 'publishing' rights back into the hands of the person who's the subject of the content, by removing the rigidity of the platform," she said.
"With Facebook's new share options, many of the privacy concerns reasons to leave Facebook for Google+ have been removed."
The main change revolves around bringing privacy controls out from the cover of the settings pages and placing them next to the posts, photos and tags they affect. Almost all content on your profile will have an icon and a drop-down menu next to it allowing you to manage who can see each specific piece of content.
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