Tech Blog: Facebook Testing Privacy Check-Up Feature

facebook-privacyAccording to tech blog SlashGear, Facebook is testing a privacy check-up feature that will intermittently send warnings to users regarding their privacy and sharing settings if they’re not using them.

According to the privacy check-up screenshot SlashGear provided on their blog, the site tells users that “You haven’t changed who can see your posts recently, so we just wanted to make sure that you’re sharing the post with the right audience.” The pop-up box then gives users the option to read more about Facebook’s privacy settings, skip it, or change the audience option for their post.

A spokesperson for Facebook told the blog that the site isn’t fundamentally changing any of their privacy practices, and that they frequently test new privacy functions on Facebook to keep users happy.

Though the site has made a concerted effort to educate users about their privacy settings, many users still don’t take adequate precautions to secure their content. These pop-up reminders could serve as a valuable disruption to get user attention, though users should take other steps to secure their profile beyond limiting its audience, including regulating how their profile interacts with third-party apps, how they can be found on search engines, who can see their photos and much more.