Global Backlash Leads To Facebook Privacy Settings Changes
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MIAMI (CBSMiami/CNN) - In the wake of the data breach by Cambridge Analytica, Facebook is changing its privacy settings.
The social media giant said the redesigned security settings on a single page will let users decide what personal information the social network and third-party apps keep. Facebook used to display security tools and settings across 20 different tabs.
The company said the updates have been in the works for "some time but the events of the past several days underscore their importance."
"This doesn't change any of the data that Facebook's actually collecting," said Kurt Wagner, senior editor at Recode.
He believes the real sign of change at Facebook is its CEO's behavior.
"It does feel like this is a bigger moment than we've seen in the past from some of these tech companies," he said. "Mark Zuckerberg may now testify in front of Congress like these are real consequences of what's going on."
The privacy changes are a response to the global outcry after an explosive report that a third-party personality quiz harvested 50 million Facebook profiles. Data company Cambridge Analytica used that information to sway the 2016 presidential election.
In addition to the redesigned security settings, the company is also adding two more tools to maintain a user's privacy. First, there will be a Privacy Shortcuts menu, where people can add two-factor authentication and control the ads they're served. Also coming is a new "Access Your Information" button allows people to delete anything from their timelines or profiles that they no longer want on Facebook.
The changes to the privacy settings will happen in the coming weeks.
The past week has been brutal for Facebook. The company lost $80 billion in market value and faced global backlash about how the company uses personal data. The Facebook data leak has also triggered an investigation by the Federal Trade Commission, which is now looking into the company's privacy practices.
(©2018 CBS Broadcasting Inc. All Rights Reserved. CNN contributed to this report.)
