Facebook Tests Privacy Checkup So You Don’t Make a Complete Ass of Yourself

Facebook tests new features and little tweaks all the time, and the majority of them never make it to primetime (meaning a global rollout). But here’s one that we think would be rather helpful. ...
Facebook Tests Privacy Checkup So You Don’t Make a Complete Ass of Yourself
Written by Josh Wolford
  • Facebook tests new features and little tweaks all the time, and the majority of them never make it to primetime (meaning a global rollout). But here’s one that we think would be rather helpful.

    The company is testing a new “privacy checkup” warning that asks users if they are sure they want to continue posing publicly. Maybe you turned your post settings to public to announce your big job promotion (congrats!) and then never turned it back to “friends only.” Yikes. Now you’re about to tell the word about the huge rager you’re having Friday night at your out-of-town boss’ beach house.

    Oh noes!

    Anyway, you get the point. It’s great the Facebook made the sharing of posts so granular, allowing users to easily switch up the privacy protocol every single time they post. But it would be nice to be reminded of your current post privacy settings, wouldn’t it?

    Sociobits grabbed a screenshot of the test, in which a cute little dinosaur says:

    Sorry to interrupt. You haven’t changed who can see your posts lately, so we just wanted to make sure you’re sharing this post with the right audience. (Your current setting is _______, though you can cvhange this whenever you post.)

    There’s also a learn more link, which reiterates the point:

    Every time you post on Facebook you can decide who sees what you share. It looks like you haven’t changed who can see your posts in a while, so we’re just checking that your privacy is set the way you want. You’ll still able to change the audience any time you post something.

    “We frequently test new ways to help ensure people are sharing with who they want to on Facebook,” said a Facebook spokesperson.

    I only wish they would go further, and warn you whenever you make a second post from a recently-changed privacy setting. So many careers, friendships, and romances could be saved by a little more attention payed to who you’re posting to.

    Image via Sociobits, h/t The Daily Dot

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