Mark Zuckerberg announced yesterday in his F8 speech that Facebook will make available to its users a feature that will give them an additional measure of control over their data. Specifically, the largest social network is reportedly preparing to allow its users to know how much information they share from their history with third-party applications.
The function, called “Clear History,” will allow you to delete your Facebook browsing history, the websites you have visited from Facebook, as well as all the ads you have clicked on.
The announcement was made at Facebook’s F8 conference (for developers) yesterday afternoon, and comes as a response to the Cambridge Analytica. Zuckerberg himself said that he probably did not give a clear answer to the questions of the Senators on how the social network’s users will be able to control their data. Crisis of conscience, or another measure of impressiveness? no one knows…
So he mentioned that the upcoming feature is an attempt to remedy the issue:
Once we release the update, you'll be able to see information about the apps and websites you've interacted with and delete it from your account. You'll also be able to turn off the storage of this information in your account.
Of course, Facebook won't stop collecting data from its users even if they use this option. According to Erin Egan, Facebook's head of privacy:
We will continue to provide apps and websites with aggregated analytics. For example, we will be able to generate reports to let developers know whether their apps are more popular with men or women, or with a specific age group. We can do this without storing information from your account, and as always, we will not tell advertisers who you are.
Zuckerberg is reportedly very concerned that Facebook will become a little less personal to its members without the use of cookies. But under these circumstances, it seems to be an obstacle that some users are very willing to accept.
Among the things Zuckerberg mentioned at F8, was that it will take about three years to complete the changes they have planned for Facebook. We should also mention that at this year's F8, Zuckerberg was not so much concerned with presenting super duper technologies that are coming to the largest social network, but with the changes that are coming in the wake of the Cambridge Analytica scandal.
A pleasant change, but it's better to keep small baskets…
