New Sharing Privacy Controls for Facebook Apps

Facebook is moving to phase two of the controversial new privacy settings roll out by enabling for applications the same set of sharing options users get on the site. This means that you'll be able to customize what you share with Facebook apps but also sites using Facebook Connect by selecting who to share it with. In theory, it should give you more control over what you share but it remains to be seen whether this roll out will get the same reception as the recent privacy settings overhaul.

"There are now granular privacy options that enable you to personalize the audience for each piece of content you share through applications. Simply select the group of people you want to share with from the drop-down menu near the lock icon on the Publisher on your home page or profile, or the prompts that appear when you share from applications or Facebook Connect websites," Ray C. He, a Facebook Platform engineer, wrote.

Specifically, you will be able to choose whether to allow an app to post an item shared with Everyone, Friends and Networks, Friends of Friends, Only Friends or, finally, just with the friends you manually select. The options will be available across the Facebook platform ecosystem, in apps on the site, desktop or mobile clients and any website or service using Facebook Connect.

Facebook says that the new sharing options are on their way, for example, in the Seesmic Desktop app, a desktop client initially for Twitter but which later added support for Facebook as well. By default, apps will use whatever privacy settings the user has already selected but developers can prompt the user to choose their preferred method and further customize the options for specific content. The move is actually a pretty good one, users will have more control over the apps they employ, which is always a good thing, and there is nothing in the update that should spark the kind of backlash Facebook got when the new privacy controls were implemented on the site.