Facebook keeps trying to convince users that the social network should be their main location on the web to assemble and spend their time online (like nearly 7 hours a month aren’t enough), by announcing on two new updates in the last 24 hours.
These two new updates suppose to offer users the feeling that Facebook is essentially their safe internet home. Let’s go over the updates details:
More Downloadable Data
The Facebook privacy team has published a post stating that they are expanding the information the user can download from the social network, to include also previous user names, friend requests and most importantly, a list of the IP addresses the user was logged in from. The last addition can be very useful to identify some hacking attempts into the account (discovering logs-in from unidentified IPs).
Until now, it was already possible to download photos/videos the user shared, posts, messages, chat conversations, friend names and email addresses (of friends who shared it publicly). The user WON’T be able to download his friends photos, updates and comments written on other people’s posts.
Facebook will begin rolling out this update into the user’s account setting soon (at least in my account it isn’t available yet).
Updating Users’ URL and Email Address
Facebook also stated yesterday that it is beginning to update and match the users’ account URLs and their email addresses “to make them more consistent” across the social network. For example, my Facebook profile URL is facebook.com/omrishabbat and my Facebook email address is [email protected] (I already updated my addresses in the past).
Facebook first started to allow users use their own custom username URL in mid 2009 and Facebook email address (@facebook.com) in late 2010. However, it seems that most people still prefers staying with their old email provider. Now, the social networking giant is pushing more aggressively users to use the social network email which will just give them another reason to stay on Facebook.
The company is already notifying users about the new option (see notification screenshot below) and if you didn’t received it yet and you wish to update your addresses you can do this on this page. Home sweet home.
