Facebook has unveiled on Tuesday one of the biggest changes on privacy settings in the company’s history. Changes include 10+ profile changes, tags, status update and location.
This is such a big overhaul that at first you may get confused on what these changes do to your Facebook profile and how they will impact your privacy. Facebook will even make every user (750+ million of them) take a tutorial about these settings changes.
Here is the survival guide with all you need to know about the new changes in Facebook privacy settings:
Your Profile
Your Facebook profile is getting some new features that will give you a more clear understanding, and it will make easier the management on how post and photos are added to your wall, and who is allowed to see what is now up to you.
- Inline Profile Controls:
This new inline menu allows you to edit the visibility of individual sections of your profile right from the profile editing page. Before, this needed to be done in the Privacy Settings page.
For more information visit http://www.facebook.com/about/control
- Profile Tag Review:
Now you have the ability to approve tags. With this new feature you now need to approve or reject photo tags and locations prior to appear on your Facebook profile. This feature can always turn it off.
- Content Tag Review:
In the past anyone that could see your photos or posts was able to tag them. Well, no more, you now have the option to review and approve or reject if someone tries to tag you.
- View Profile As…:
The “View Profile As” feature that allow you to see your Facebook profile page as one of your friends, which was buried in the Customize Settings page, now you will find this tool on the top of your profile for faster access.
Your Shares
Profiles changes weren’t the only thing that Facebook has changed, now it is going to be easier to use and control who can see what you share. Other functionality includes simpler to add location and tag to the people you’re with.
- Inline Controls:
Facebook has made easier to understand what you post. Now icons will indicate whether a status you are about to publish will be public, appear only to friends, or to a custom set of friends or groups.
For more information about sharing visit http://www.facebook.com/about/sharing
Important: The word Everyone has changed to Public — Like Google+.
- Change Your Mind After You Post?
In the past once you posted something, you couldn’t change who could see it. Now you’ll be able to change who can see any post after it is published or remove it completely.
- Tag Who You’re With, What You Want to Talk About:
In the past you were only able to tag someone if you were a friend with that person, and you could only tag a Page if you had liked it. Now you will be able to add tags on your friends or anyone else on Facebook. And, of course, if you ever get tagged from someone who isn’t your friend, with these new changes you can approve or reject before it appears in your profile.
- Tag Locations in Posts:
Places has been integrated into the Publisher Bar. And now you can add location into anything.
For more information about locations visit http://www.facebook.com/about/location
- Remove Tags or Content from Facebook — More control over photo privacy:
If you decide to remove the tag of a photo, you will now have the option to request the photo to be taken down or block that person entirely.
Other changes include:
- Lock icon is no more: The lock icon to the right, under the Publisher box, has been replaced. It will now display the globe, friends or gear icon depending on who you share something with, public, friends or custom.
- No more GPS restriction: Facebook users now are allowed to tag any location in a status or photo, regardless if they are or they are not nearby.
- Mobile: Facebook Places icon will no longer be a part of the mobile app. Now a Nearby icon will be display instead.
Facebook will not update every user at once, they will roll out all the new changes in the coming days. You will know that your profile has been updated when you see a prompt to take a tour to see all the features from your homepage.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows expert and the Editor-in-Chief who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He's also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 12 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows, software, and related technologies, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ & Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, and LinkedIn.