Facebook is overhauling privacy controls in the face of a barrage of criticism that it is betraying the trust which has made it the world's biggest social network.
'It's been a pretty intense few weeks for us, listening to all the feedback coming in from all the changes we've made,' Facebook's 26-year-old founder Mark Zuckerberg said as he announced simplified privacy controls.
Facebook unveiled a redesigned privacy settings page to provide a single control for content and 'significantly reduce' the amount of information that is always visible to everyone.
It also said it is giving users more control over how outside applications or websites access information at the service. The revamped privacy controls will roll out in the coming days.
Facebook last month sparked criticism from privacy and consumer groups, US lawmakers and the European Union by adding the ability for partner websites to incorporate data regarding members of the social-networking service.
Critics had urged Facebook to make all user information private by default and then let people designate what they want to share case-by-case in an 'opt-in' model.
Facebook has rejected such a model, saying the service that boasts over 400 million members worldwide is based on a premise that people want to connect and share with friends.
'People want to stay connected with family, friends and the people around them; that is a core thing about what we do,' Zuckerberg said. 'We really do believe in privacy and giving people control,' he said.
'There is a balance and more and more people want to share information as long as they have good controls over that,' he added.
The fuss about privacy controls at Facebook has not resulted in hordes abandoning the service, according to Zuckerberg.
He also said the new privacy controls have had nothing to do with pumping up advertising revenue.
