Facebook Simplifies Its Security Settings To Make It Less Confusing

Facebook’s security settings have been criticized fro being too confusing by many. Now, the social media behemoth has begun rolling out a redesign to make it easier for everyone to understand Facebook’s security tools.

At Facebook, we work around the clock to help create a safe and secure community for the people who use our products each day. But security is about more than strong infrastructure,” said Heidi Shin, a product manager of Facebook’s Protect and Care team. “It’s also about giving you simple, helpful tools to help protect yourself. That's why over the past few weeks, we have rolled out a new security settings page that makes it easier than ever to take control of your security on Facebook.”

Facebook’s new and simpler security settings are based on two principles: Security tools should be easily identified and should be easy to understand. The most important change really is that Facebook’s two-factor authentication option for secured logins is no longer called “Login Approvals.”

Two-factor authentication or two-step verification is one of the most common security tools that prevents other people from logging into a user’s account. When a user tries to login to their account, Facebook will send them a code to their smartphone via SMS to approve the login. It’s been implemented by many other sites and services over the last few years, and is one of the best ways from keeping user accounts secure.

Facebook has finally realized that calling it “login approvals” may have deterred some users from using two-factor authentication on Facebook. Simply calling it what it is should have been a no-brainer from the start.

“After finding in our research that ‘two-factor authentication’ was the most recognized term, we adjusted the name. By focusing on clarity, we’re making it easier for people to find and enable these features on Facebook as well as other online services,” Shin said.

Another important change in Facebook security settings is a new “Recommended” section. This page basically surfaces the security tools that users need based on their current settings. Two-factor authentication and Trusted Contacts should be at the very top of this section if both have not been enabled yet, accoridng to CNN.

The Facebook security settings has also been streamlined by grouping similar features into modules. With this new layout, it makes it easier and faster to go through the security settings without having to jump between different pages.

The “Where you’re logged in” module has also been given a simpler design. Now, users will be able to easily see where, when and what devices they were last logged into, according to Engadget.

The redesign of Facebook’s security settings appear to be another step forward from the company’s upgrades to its privacy settings, which was first announced back in January.

At the time, Facebook added more guides, called Privacy Basic, to its Privacy Settings making easier for people to know who will be able to see what they post on their Timeline. This was also when Facebook first rolled out its Privacy Checkup feature, a step-by-step guide to help in making users’ account more private.