Keen to try out new apps, but a bit hesitant about allowing them to use your Facebook details? That may no longer be an issue — Facebook’s making some privacy changes.
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The social media giant announced at its F8 developer conference that it would be changing how it manages logins from third party apps. Specifically, it’s introducing anonymous logins, and giving users more control over what they want to share when they opt to sign up with Facebook instead of creating custom usernames and passwords for every app.
Anonymous logins
Previously, if you used your Facebook account to access apps like Flipboard and Pinterest, you would need to give them permission to access your account in order for you to use their app. Now, Facebook is giving developers the ability to enable anonymous logins, which essentially lets users test out the app and later decide if they want to give it more access to their profiles by upgrading to a full Facebook login.
If you choose to login anonymously, none of your information will be shared with the app makers — so you won’t have to worry about them sneakily posting to your profile or searching your friends list. Although the feature is currently being tested with a few developers at the moment, Facebook has now made it available for new and current app developers too, which should see it implemented on a larger scale soon.
More login control and app management
In an attempt to stop the snickers when the words “Facebook” and “privacy” are mentioned in the same sentence, Zuckerberg and company are revamping their mobile login options to give users detailed control over what they share. For example, if you’re okay with an app knowing your birthday but not who you’re friends with, you can now check and uncheck the relevant options.
Facebook will also start reviewing new apps that use its login feature to ensure they can’t post to users’ profiles without deliberate and conscious permission from the user. Existing apps which use Facebook login have a year to upgrade to the new version.
Facebook is also launching a new dashboard to allow users to manage connected apps easily, by revoking access remotely or editing specific permissions to control what information they share, which will be rolling out in the coming weeks.
