Recent Facebook updates which made the platform safer and better than before

Facebook is continuing to improve with the addition of many new important features and updates.

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Facebook is rolling out some new features and making significant changes to its platform. The recent ones being the introduction of new privacy tools wherein the update will bring support for physical security keys and the remodeling of it news feed where relevant videos will now appear on the screen.

 

While these might be the latest changes, there are more updates that Facebook has introduced to make the experience on its platform more seamless.

Recent Facebook updates which made the platform safer and better

Let's break down the updates so that you'll have a better understanding of what has changed on Facebook lately.

Introduction of New Privacy Tools

Introduction of New Privacy Tools

Well, considering the fact that Data Privacy Day falls on Jan. 28, Facebook has launched a new version of its Privacy Basics page. The launch has been made in order to help you better understand how to effectively take control of their information on the site.

Besides, you don't need to visit the Privacy Basics site to see its content. Why? Facebook will prompt you o what to do when taking certain actions or while changing certain privacy settings.

In addition, Facebook has partnered with privacy experts and others to help users understand how to manage their privacy online. There are in fact 32 guides in 44 languages on the site and the topics cover numerous issues like managing your privacy, customizing who can view different parts of your profile and ways to increase account security.

Support for Physical Keys
 

Support for Physical Keys

With its newest privacy tools, Facebook has also added another update which is the support for physical security keys. What it means is that you can now use a USB key that supports the universal second factor (U2F) standard to log into your Facebook account.

However, you'll need to use the key in combination with your password for added security. You can log into Facebook via Chrome on Android devices but the phone and key need to have NFC wireless tech.

Facebook in its Security page has said, "Using your phone for two-factor authentication works well for a lot of people, and it's way more secure than using just your password." "Security keys offer certain advantages, though, and we wanted to offer people the option."

This can be a very good move by Facebook. Because, if you compare this to other forms of authentication, security keys are nearly immune to phishing and other cyber attacks. They are faster and can be used on a number of different services like Facebook, Google, Dropbox, amongst others.

SEE ALSO: Facebook introduces 'security key' to protect data

Revamped Facebook News Feed

Revamped Facebook News Feed

Apart from the privacy and security updates, Facebook is also working on improving how its News Feed surfaces the most relevant videos for you. According to Facebook, the platform is changing the way it ranks videos that appear on the News Feed so that the videos which are more relevant to you surface on the screen.

So if you are watching longer videos and spend more time in it, then this kind of videos may get a boost. Facebook has said, "while we expect that most Pages will not see significant changes in distribution as a result of this update, longer videos that people spend time watching may see a slight increase in distribution on Facebook - so people who find longer videos engaging may be able to discover more of them in News Feed. As a side effect, some shorter videos may see a slight dip in News Feed distribution."

However, Facebook has taken such step to adjust the value the platform gives to how much of a video is watched. While this is the most recent change, it will roll out gradually over the coming weeks. In this matter Facebook has commented that"we'll continue to make improvements as we better understand video behavior on Facebook, to make sure that people are seeing the most engaging and relevant video content for them."

SEE ALSO: Twitter's new update offers trends, moments, and live video all in one place

Facebook Trending Topics

Facebook Trending Topics

And not just the news feed! Facebook has revamped its Trending Topics feature as well. What's new? The new feature will now allow users to see the same trending topic and it will no longer be personalized to interest or location.

This move has been an important one for Facebook. Ever since the results of US presidential elections were declared, Facebook had been accused of spreading fake news that favored the win of US President Donald Trump. Moreover, many might not have known but Facebook was already working on solving the fake news problem even before the U.S. elections. But somehow, Donald Trump winning the election seem to have been the catalyst and given the boost for an outcry against the social media giant.

Nonetheless, Facebook has now changed the way the topics are selected. The topics will be chosen based on how many people on Facebook are engaging with it. With the new changes, Facebook will look at the number of outlets posting stories on a particular topic, and decide its inclusion based on engagement around that group of articles.

Facebook has confirmed that the changes have already been implemented and will be available in all regions over the coming week.

SEE ALSO: Facebook Trending Topics revamped to curb fake news

Facebook Slideshow Feature for Android

Facebook Slideshow Feature for Android

The Slideshow Feature for Android is yet another Facebook feature that has been added recently. While the feature may have already been released in June 2016 for iOS users, Facebook has now started rolling out the 'Slideshow' feature for Android users as well.

The rollout comes after the company had been testing the feature since last month. Looks like the testing is complete and now finally ready to be rolled out to all users. Android Police further reports that this feature has been seen on few of the users Android app. It was the same case when the feature was being tested in beta stage.

This new feature will be available on the 'Post an Activity' menu, above the 'Tag Friends' option. Clicking on the Sideshow tab will bring up the Gallery, and then you can choose pictures from it to create a slideshow and post it on Facebook.

However, the feature might take some time to reach all users and it might be that Facebook is doing an incremental rollout. If this is the case, then, it basically means you might have to wait a little longer to get the feature for your Android app.

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