If you’ve spent much time on the internet lately, you’ve probably been presented with pop-ups or pages on your favorite sites informing you about their privacy settings.
The reason social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and the like have all been reminding users to adjust their settings is because of the General Data Protection Regulation, which went into effect on Friday, May 25.
Privacy checkup: Here’s how to take control of your Facebook data
The measure, which is a mandate from the European Union, stipulates that consumers must be told about the information harnessed from their accounts as well as how to stop or manage it.
As we’ve told you previously, Facebook has vowed to be more open in the aftermath of a data scandal involving a third-party app. In a statement Thursday, Facebook Chief Privacy Officer Erin Egan said the site was reminding users worldwide to check their privacy settings.
“After updating our data policy and making our privacy controls easier to find, we’re now showing people an alert as they visit News Feed so they can review details about advertising, face recognition, and information they’ve chosen to share in their profile,” Egan said.
Because the site is so massive, many people may still be having trouble finding how to see and adjust their privacy settings. Here’s how to do it:
RELATED: Here’s the personal info Facebook has on every user
Here’s how to manage your privacy settings in Facebook
- Click
at the top right of any Facebook page and go to Settings.
2. This will take you to the General Account Settings. Click “Privacy” in the left-hand rail. This will take you to the Privacy Settings & Tools page, where you’ll see how to limit who can see online as well as who can see your friends list and other related topics.
3. Click on any number of settings to control what people see, including who can look you up using your phone number and which search engines outside Facebook can link to your profile.
Facebook has come a long way in making their data tools and settings easier to find. Money expert Clark Howard says the new transparency mandated by internet sites is a good thing for consumers because it encourages user control.
“You will, depending on the website, have the ability to restrict those practices, and if a site tells you ”˜We’re doing this that and the other,’ and you don’t want them doing it, you’re then left with the choice: Do I still want to do business with these people — do I still want to use their stuff — or do I want to dump them,” Clark says.
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