Facebook chief executive Mark Zuckerberg has just penned an editorial for the Washington Post, answering his critics and announcing that changes are on the way.
Mr Zuckerberg writes of two substantive changes coming soon — drastically simplified privacy settings, and an easy way to opt-out of third party services such as the recently launched Instant Personalisation feature. These changes are in line with what we reported on Saturday, when we revealed plans for Facebook’s “master control.”
Mr Zuckerberg, who has been criticised for not being more forthcoming in recent weeks, took responsibility for his company’s overreach. “The biggest message we have heard recently is that people want easier control over their information,” he wrote. “Simply put, many of you thought our controls were too complex. Our intention was to give you lots of granular controls; but that may not have been what many of you wanted. We just missed the mark.”
It will be Facebook’s next steps, however, that determine whether critics back down, or whether they continue their assault on the world’s largest social network.
Mr Zuckerberg says meaningful changes are on the way. “In the coming weeks, we will add privacy controls that are much simpler to use,” he wrote. “We will also give you an easy way to turn off all third-party services.”
If Facebook is successful in both these measures, it should go a ways towards calming the furore. But as the company extends its user base and influence, it may be walking on eggshells for years to come.
