Facebook has a bumpy past in regards to it’s user’s privacy and how it addresses it. Well now they’ve done it again – Facebook will kill of the privacy settings that stop users being findable via search. In December the “Who can look up your Timeline by name?” setting was taken away from users who weren’t using it and now it’s removing it completely.
According to Facebook, only a small percentage of users were utilizing the setting and they will receive periodic notifications about the upcoming change.
Conversations about Facebook and respecting users privacy always stir up strong opinions and concerns, and the company is saying that if you’re a member, you can be found and what people can find is completely up to you. When posts that are set as public, users will receive a reminder that the ‘public’ setting means anyone can see it, even people you may not know – the only exception to this is users who have been blocked from viewing specific people’s timelines.
Facebook’s defense? They believe the setting gave users a false sense of security by giving the impression of a level of security that wasn’t provided. Users were still able to find others from a status update or a post on a photo etc.
The more cynical explanation for the change is to improve graph search and to increase it’s marketability.
But whatever your belief is, Facebook search is coming for you – whether you like it or not.
By G+ Author: Erin Washington.
