Andre Yoskowitz
26 May 2010 23:08
Facebook, facing increasing criticism over its new privacy settings, has announced it will be rolling out new simplified settings for users over the next week.
The criticism mainly stemmed from the site making all of a user's basic information available to the public, with no opt-out. The new update will allow users to reduce what is shown to the public.
Additionally, USAToday reports that the new settings will add "an opt-out feature for a myriad of non-Facebook applications."
Says CEO Mark Zuckerberg: "A lot of people are upset with us. One of the big takeaways is: Don't mess with the privacy stuff for a really long time."
Facebook has over 450 million users, and recently became the most trafficked site in the United States, surpassing even the mighty Google.
Last week, rival social networking site MySpace simplified their own privacy settings. Said MySpace Co-President Mike Jones: "Given all the noise in the industry, we want to get out and state a clear position so that our users understand that we take privacy very seriously."