Skip to main content

Facebook using animated dinosaur to explain new privacy policy

Photo: HANDOUT / New York Times
Facebook is using a blue dinosaur as the animated guide in a new education center that teaches users how to adjust their privacy settings.

The world’s largest social network unveiled the interactive education center, Privacy Basics, on Thursday. The center will use the dinosaur and other animated characters to help people work through the settings to adjust what their friends and advertisers see of their profiles.

“This new way of communicating with people, using animated cartoons, using a video format, we really hope this resonates with people and that they find it helpful,” Facebook Chief Privacy Officer Erin Egan said. “We’re doing this in response to a demand that the privacy policy be clearer.”

Facebook is increasing user outreach after years of lawsuits and confusion over how the company controls and displays the data that members provide. Updates like Privacy Basics, along with prompts this year for members to check their preferences for what advertisers see, help give people a measure of control over their content.

Photo: HANDOUT / New York Times
“The more we can be clear with people about their information and their privacy on Facebook, the more people feel comfortable on Facebook and the more time they spend on Facebook,” said Brian Boland, a vice president at the Menlo Park company. “That’s great for advertisers.”

Facebook is rare among Internet companies in that it seeks user input on its privacy policy and tries to put it in plain English. But it also has a vast trove of data about its users that it uses to show ads and measure how well they work, among other things.

Privacy Basics is designed to show users how to control what they share. Tips answer questions such as “How do I delete something I post on Facebook?” or “What do people who aren’t my friends see when they search for me?”

It also proposed changes to its terms and privacy policy, which it calls its data policy. The new policy is much shorter and lays out how Facebook collects data and what it does with it, among other things, in illustrated subsections.

Users will have seven days — until Thursday — to comment on the new policy and the final version will go into effect soon after that.

The move comes as Facebook is testing a tool that lets users buy things through its site, and expands its targeted ads based on users’ location. The new policy sets out that if people use Facebook to make a purchase, their credit card information will be collected. Meanwhile, the location information Facebook collects might include where you took a photo that you share on the site, or the location of your mobile device using GPS, Bluetooth or Wi-Fi signals.


A recent Pew Research Center poll found that 80 percent of Americans who use social networking sites are concerned about third parties, such as advertisers, accessing data that they share on the sites. At the same time, most are willing to share some information about themselves in exchange for using such services for free.

Source:- http://goo.gl/c9uEJ7

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Tesla Model S & BMW i3 Get New Skins

Tesla may be the most American car company nowadays, and especially once the gigafactory gets rolling. In honor of Veterans Day , Tesla rolled out a a Tesla Model S with camouflage vinyl wrap and louvered back windows. The special Model S was also stamped with a nice Twitter hashtag, #TeslaVets. It’s a nice tribute to the guys and gals who put their lives on the line in the name of the USA, and it also brings attention to the fact that one of the best ways to protect the country from some of its biggest threats, global warming and oil wars, is to go electric. But this isn’t Tesla’s first sign of support for vets. The California-based car company has also committed to hiring a lot of them . “The actual work was done by SS Customs, and also features unique camo wheels, a roof rack, and yellow military-esque headlights,” GAS2 writes . “Tesla revealed the Veterans day tribute via its Facebook page , with this simple message; ‘A heartfelt Veterans Day thank you to all wh

Taylor Swift Unhappy After Princeton Review Misquotes Her Lyrics in SAT Test Paper

Image courtesy: TaylorSwiftVEVO/YouTube The popstar of several multi-million dollar hits and multi-million dollar legs , Taylor Swift is not one to be messed with. The Princeton Review found that out the hard way after they published Tay Tay's lyrics as an example of bad grammar on a SAT practice test. To be fair, they were trying to make the point that pop songs are where grammar goes to die and also cited other pop singers such as Katy Perry, Justin Timberlake, Lady Gaga and Kesha. The fiercely loyal Tay Tay fans were not likely to let this go by and Tumblr user Nava who was apparently having ' an amazing time studying for SAT' when she spotted this, posted a snapshot with the caption, " .... it isn't a pop song it's a country pop song so take that Princeton review Taylor is grammar queen so shhhhhh.." Source Unluckily for the Princeton Review however they misquoted the lyrics of the song Fifteen. The question paper wanted students to g

Ariana Grande Shows Off Her Killer Vocals in "Adore"—Listen to the Cashmere Cat Song Here!

Get ready to have another  Ariana Grande  hit on your mind all day! The 21-year-old's second album,  My Everything,  was full of music production from Norwegian producer  Cashmere Cat,  who even nabbed a "featured" credit on "Be My Baby," and now the singer has returned the favor. Cashmere Cat just released a new single titled "Adore," which features Ariana, but don't let that little F-word fool ya. The entire song is Grande and her hypnotizing voice serenading the listener over the Norwegian producer's ecclectic beat. It's really one great electro and R&B pairing that you never saw coming. As for whether or not she's singing about  Big Sean  (oh, c'mon, we all know you're thinking it)—we're gonna go with a "probably." The lyrics go a little something like this: "Boy so what's been on your mind?/ For me it's just you all the time/ We don't need to go nowhere tonight/ It'