Facebook revamps 'privacy checkup' to help manage data settings

As Facebook begins to navigate new privacy laws, the company is updating its "privacy checkup" feature to make it easier for people to control how their data is used.

While the original version of the feature, launched in 2014, was primarily meant to help people control who could see their Facebook posts and profile, the current iteration will also help users navigate security features and better understand how their personal data is used.

That may sound like a win for critics who have long complained that Facebook knows too much about us, but the new privacy feature isn't exactly easy to find. In order to access it, users need to either tap through several settings pages or search for "privacy checkup" directly in the app.

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The new privacy checkup will walk Facebook users through settings to control how their personal data is used. Credit: facebook

The feature also comes days after a new privacy law went into effect in Facebook's home state of California. The California Consumer Protection Act, or CCPA, is meant to give consumers more control over their personal data, including the right to ask companies to disclose and delete data. The social network has already been criticized for doing only the bare minimum to comply with the law.

But, if you know how to find it, the new privacy does at least offer a more streamlined way to manage some of your most important account settings.