Facebook might finally be taking user privacy seriously. The social network has apparently been testing a popup window where a friendly blue dinosaur reminds you to check your privacy settings, Mashable reported.
In the examples of the test noticed by Mashable, a blue cartoon dinosaur holding a laptop pops up with this message: "Hi [Name]--Sorry to interrupt. You haven't changed who can see your posts lately, so we just wanted to make sure you're sharing this post with the right audience. (Your current setting is [Setting], though you can change this whenever you post."
Are we the only ones who get pumped about seeing Facebook's privacy dinosaur in action? https://t.co/1lDTM9Qv8M
— IAPP (@PrivacyPros) March 24, 2014
A Facebook spokesperson wouldn't share any details with Mashable, simply saying, "We frequently test new ways to help ensure people are sharing with who they want to on Facebook."
The site's privacy settings have been fairly mercurial, confusing users. In recent times, Facebook shifted its privacy settings so every post could be made public or private. The more information the site gleans about its users, the better for its ad revenue, but the blue dinosaur seems instead like a step toward focusing on user privacy.
Slate's Will Oremus pointed out that the dinosaur at first seems like an attempt to get users to post publicly. But a Facebook spokesperson said the only people who have seen the dinosaur test are those who are already sharing all their posts publicly, Oremus wrote.
So why is Facebook testing a new feature that will likely encourage more people to post things privately?
"I can think of two plausible motivations," Oremus wrote. "The first is that, believe it or not, Facebook understands more than ever that maintaining its users' trust--or at least a modicum of it--is crucial to its long-term survival.
"Maintaining access to users' data is crucial, too, of course. But I think Facebook recognizes that no one wins when people accidentally share things with people they didn't mean to share them with."
What's the second possible motive?
It's good PR.
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