Facebook announced it will simplify their privacy settings for users.  After feeling the pressure from large groups of protestors, Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said “We needed to simplify controls…  We want people to be able to share information in the way that they want.”

The newly configured privacy page is intended to be a central dashboard for adjusting all content and privacy settings.  There are streamlined capabilities to monitor and adjust global settings.  In the past, settings for new applications would not adhere to the preset options.  In other words, a user would need to realize that they need to go back to the settings page each time an application was added or information was modified, etc.

Having default settings should be sufficient for the majority of users.  Advanced settings will still be available for those looking for total control over their shared data. “We’ve focused on three things: a single control for your content, more powerful controls for your basic information and an easy control to turn off all applications,” said Zuckerberg.

While heightened privacy control is good news for many avid users, Facebook is battling an interesting dilemma.  Their prime revenue source is from content driven, targeted advertising. By restricting access to 3^rd parties, they may be directly limiting their ad revenue growth potential.  This will be curious to see how Facebook is able to work around this hurdle.  Are they able to compromise personal information in any way?  Can they arrange a deal where personal information is exposed to high paying media research agencies?

.