Facebook changes led users to reveal more: Study
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Facebook users began sharing more private data after the social network giant revamped its policies and interface, according to a study released Tuesday. -- FILE PHOTO: AFP
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Facebook users began sharing more private data after the social network giant revamped its policies and interface, according to a study released on Tuesday.
The seven-year study by Carnegie Mellon University researchers said users had been moving toward greater privacy settings from 2005 to 2009, but that the trend reversed with the Facebook changes in 2009 and 2010.
The researchers said modifications to the Facebook interface and default settings led to a significant increase in the public disclosure of personal information.
As a result, users ended up increasing their personal disclosures on the network, sometimes unknowingly, including to Facebook itself, third-party apps and advertisers.
