Updated March 29, 2018 14:24:39

Photo: You can request a copy of your Facebook Archive to see the data others may have access to. (Reuters: Thomas Hodel)

So, you're not ready to #deletefacebook, but you want to tighten up your privacy settings?

To start, it'd be nice to figure out where they are and what you're actually able to change.

The social media giant says that's fair enough and has announced another round of changes to the platform, this time, pledging to "put people more in control of their privacy".

This is from a joint statement by Facebook's chief privacy officer and deputy general counsel:

"We've heard loud and clear that privacy settings and other important tools are too hard to find and that we must do more to keep people informed."

Of course this is all in response to the ongoing Cambridge Analytica scandal that, according to Facebook, saw user data mishandled by a third-party app and passed on to the firm.

At the crux of the issue is knowing what data is collected and who has access to it through the platform. Facebook says users have "choices over their data", even if that hasn't been apparent.

What's changing?

The announcement listed three main changes:

• Controls under the settings menu will be simplified to be "easier to find and use"
• The privacy shortcuts menu is getting an update
• A tool called Access your Information will help users find, download and delete data from Facebook in one place.

On first look, it doesn't appear as though Facebook is adding any new functionality. It has repeatedly said these changes are about getting rid of "outdated" settings "so it's clear what information can and can't be shared with apps".

And, we went digging and it looks like these updates haven't been released in Australia just yet.

In terms of the updated settings menu, Facebook has promised that "instead of having settings spread across nearly 20 different screens, they're now accessible from a single place".

The old settings menu and the new:

Infographic: Two captures of mobile phone screens show updates to Facebook's settings menu. (Supplied: Facebook)

The new privacy menu

Under settings > privacy you can access a whole bunch of settings, but it's the shortcuts menu Facebook has promised to overhaul.

Infographic: The Facebook settings options on mobile. (Supplied: Facebook)

"The new Privacy Shortcuts is a menu where you can control your data in just a few taps, with clearer explanations of how our controls work," the company said in a statement.

It claims to include the functions of:

• Making accounts more secure
• Controlling personal information
• Controlling the ads we see
• Managing who sees posts and profile information.

We performed the three-step privacy check up. It's pretty simple and looks like this:

The third step lets you delete apps that are currently connected to your Facebook account.

Again, this is an existing setting that the platform is now promising to make easier to access.

You can download a copy of your Facebook data

It's one way to find out what others might possibly see.

As part of the changes, Facebook has promised to make this easier with the Access to Information tool, but you can do it under current settings.

If you're on desktop, navigate to settings > general > download a copy of your Facebook data.

You'll arrive at this page and have to enter your Facebook password to proceed.

You have to verify your identity several times and be emailed "your personal archive" to the address associated with your account.

If you have a Google account, you can export that data too. It's called Google Takeout.

What's in the data?

So … much.

Things like:

• Anything on your timeline like posts, photos, videos, comments and interactions with people
• Message and chat conversations from your inbox
• Your "activity log", including posts you have commented on or liked, apps you have used and things you have searched for
• And then there's the information that's less visible, including ads you have clicked on and your IP address
• Facebook even keeps track of your favourite stickers.

This Twitter thread goes a long way to show just how much data exists. The creator paints a picture of what information giants Facebook, Google and Microsoft have access to.

Dylan Curran tweeted that his downloaded Facebook data came to 600mb — or "400,000 Word documents".

It starts here:

Some highlights:

Topics: internet-technology, science-and-technology, united-states

First posted March 29, 2018 14:07:01