Facebook's Blue Dinosaur Returns for More Comprehensive Privacy Check-up
The social media giant Facebook brings back its blue dinosaur for a more comprehensive privacy check-up of the site's 1.3 billion users.
The blue cartoon dinosaur pops-up every time a Facebook user wants to post a public message on his or her status. This is part of Facebook's test which serves as a gentle reminder for the user to pay attention to the posts and share the message only to the intended group.
The pop-up reads: "Sorry to interrupt. You haven't changed what you see on your posts lately, so we just wanted to make sure you're sharing this post with the right audience." The social media giant just merely alerts users about their privacy but the company's privacy policy remains the same.
Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg personally explained the reminder to the Facebook shareholders during the company's annual meeting in Menlo Park, California on Thursday.
According to an article from Fairfax Media, Zuckerberg stated: "We think this is taking our responsibility seriously to make sure people have control over who they are sharing with."
Along with the pop-up of the prehistoric blue dinosaur, Facebook is also set to change the default control of the users' posts to "Friends" instead of the usual "Public" which has been in effect since 2009.
The privacy checkup will be shown to other users all over the world. It will also be translated into several languages based on the local language used each specific country. As part of the company's long term strategy, Facebook will also roll out other changes as a response from users' feedback.
This new move will provide Facebook users with greater peace of mind that the messages they post will be viewed only by the intended readers. Social media users then turn to Twitter and discussed about the changes. One user @ArtfulStew stated: "Facebook is tightening its privacy policy. Now no one will be able to see your embarrassing photos unless they're in the 'known' universe." Even US Senator Jay Rockefeller commends Facebook for this move. He tweeted: "@facebook's new privacy policy is a laudable change. As I've said, it should be up to the user to decide how much they share w/ the public."
It remains to be seen though what will be the Facebook users' reaction to this blue dinosaur which has been popping up on their screens. "Over time, we think that is going to serve everyone who is using Facebook better and help us achieve our long-term goals," Zuckerberg said.
Read the tweets below:
Facebook is tightening its privacy policy. Now no one will be able to see your embarrassing photos unless they're in the 'known' universe.
— Sasha Stewart (@ArtfulStew) May 22, 2014
.@facebook's new privacy policy is a laudable change. As I've said, it should be up to the user to decide how much they share w/ the public. — Jay Rockefeller (@SenRockefeller) May 22, 2014
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