Facebook Messenger reminds users to check privacy settings
Have you checked your Messenger privacy settings recently? No? If you're in the European Union, at least, that's about to change.
Facebook's messaging platform has begun showing pop-up notifications prompting users to review their privacy settings. The notification, which Business Insider spotted on Wednesday, overtakes users' screens as soon as they open the app.
CARD ID: 339930
The message reads"Important Updates to Review: Please review your data settings by 25 May to continue using Messenger."
It's accompanied by a "Review Now" button, presumably designed to take you to your Messenger privacy settings. This didn't happen when Business Insider tried it, suggesting that the notification might be a test.
May 25 isn't a random pick -- it's the day the EU's aggressive new internet regulations roll out. The General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) will require online companies to be more transparent with their acquisitions and use of user data. Companies that don't comply will face substantial fines.
Under GDPR, Facebook will need to provide users with clear instructions for providing and revoking consent, and the ability to delete their data. The company will also need to tell users how their information is being used, and who has access to it.
CARD ID: 339941
These notifications are one of many actions Facebook will need to take to comply with GDPR, and they're a step in the right direction. Hopefully, they'll remind all users to make sure their personal information is secure online.
While this is good news for EU residents, others will have to wait. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg recently announced that Facebook intends to expand such privacy protections around the world "at some point," but not, it seems, in the immediate future.
Topics Cybersecurity Facebook
Monica wrote for Mashable's Tech section with a focus on retail, internet of things, and the intersections of technology and social justice. She holds a degree in creative writing from Brown University, and has previously written for Dow Jones Media, the New York Post, Yahoo Finance, and others. In her free time, she can be found attempting to cook Asian food, buying board games, and looking for new hobbies.
