Facebook is currently releasing an update to its Access Your Information feature, designed to improve its usability, navigation, and clarity regarding data usage. The redesigned version presents information in a more visually appealing format and organizes viewable data into eight distinct categories, a change from the previous two.

This tool was initially launched in 2018 following the Cambridge Analytica incident, where the personal information of as many as 87 million Facebook users was compromised. In response to this event, Facebook implemented several modifications to its platform’s applications and introduced new features to empower users to easily locate and manage their privacy settings.

Among these additions was the Access Your Information tool, providing users with a secure method to oversee their Facebook posts, reactions, comments, and search history. The intention is to allow users to access their information and subsequently “remove any content from their timeline or profile they no longer wish to have on Facebook.”

Previously, the tool categorized data under two main headings: Your Information and Information About You. The updated version now divides this into eight categories:

• Your Activity Across Facebook
• Friends and Followers
• Preferences
• Personal Information
• Logged Information
• Ads Information
• Apps and Websites Off Of Facebook
• Security and Login Information

Each of these eight categories is further subdivided into subcategories, enabling users to pinpoint and access specific data they want to review and potentially delete.

The tool will also provide clearer explanations of how Facebook utilizes user data to personalize their platform experience. For example, a user might learn that their primary location was a factor in displaying an advertisement for a food delivery service. (Facebook already offers explanations for ad targeting through its Why Am I Seeing This tool, and this functionality is now integrated into Access Your Information as well.)

Facebook states that these changes were informed by user behavior and the categories of data they most frequently accessed.

The timing of this update is noteworthy, as Apple is actively working to increase transparency for App Store users regarding data collection practices and tracking. Apple now requires apps to display App Store privacy labels and will soon mandate user consent for tracking.

In response to these developments, Facebook launched a website and published full-page advertisements in newspapers to advocate for its personalized advertising model, highlighting potential negative consequences for small businesses resulting from Apple’s changes.

This revised tool will also assist Facebook in communicating the benefits of data usage and personalized advertising to its users. (After all, receiving advertisements from businesses that serve your area can be more beneficial, a point Facebook aims to emphasize.)

Additionally, the tool may be helpful for individuals seeking to quickly remove potentially damaging Facebook content – such as photos or videos taken during last week’s events at the Capitol, for example. With the FBI filing federal charges and numerous additional charges being brought in court, some individuals may be reconsidering their public sharing of involvement in the event. The tool could facilitate this process.

Facebook maintains that the enhancements are solely focused on improving usability.

The updated tool is now available on iOS and Android devices, with a desktop version planned for release in the future.