Earlier this year, Facebook controversially eliminated the ability for users to vote on the site’s policy changes. Many users weren’t aware of their right to do this in the first place, but it still caused a minor uproar, and Facebook promised users frequent web chats to increase communications and to answer any privacy questions they may have. The Q + A sessions began today, with Facebook Chief Privacy Officer Erin Egan answering user questions through the new “Ask Erin” app.

Egan won’t answer every question in the feature, but she will try to address some of the most common Facebook privacy concerns and post the answers in a series of blog posts. All specific privacy questions relating to fake accounts, privacy glitches and other grievances should still be sent to Facebook’s Help Center; Egan’s series aims to merely answer general questions and address concerns about the site’s privacy settings.

In Egan’s first post, which went live today, she addressed three of the most frequently asked questions that she receives about Facebook’s privacy settings:

• How does Facebook think about privacy when building its products?
• How do you personally use Facebook’s privacy settings to share?
• Does Facebook sell my private information to advertisers?

The “Ask Erin” app feels a bit slight for a website with 1 billion active users, though this open forum at least serves as a step in the right direction for a website that frequently struggles with transparency regarding its privacy settings. What do you think of this new forum? Can it serve its purpose of educating users, or does it not go far enough?

Recommended Resources

BitDefender Safego is a Facebook application you can install that will scan your News Feed and help keep you safe from scams on Facebook.

PRIVATE WiFi® is a Personal VPN that encrypts everything you send and receive. Don’t access Facebook from a public WiFi hotspot without it.

DoNotTrackMe protects your privacy by blocking online tracking. Abine – Online Privacy Starts Here.