Problem: How can we address users’ concerns about complex and unclear privacy settings in Facebook's apps to improve trust and ease of use?

Company: Meta / Facebook
My role: Product design leader
Location: Menlo Park, California
When: 2020

strategy

My approach focuses on understanding and addressing user privacy concerns across our apps. Through user research and feedback, I prioritize key issues to align with our vision of a social ecosystem where consent, transparency, and control are fundamental. My aim is to make privacy settings intuitive and ensure users feel in control of their data.

To enhance privacy in our products, I collaborate with engineering and data security teams to integrate advanced features like end-to-end encryption. Building and acquiring necessary skills and frameworks is essential in this process. My goal is to create a secure, respectful, and empowering digital environment for our users.

research

In a large-scale survey (˜40k FOA global users), respondents described their privacy concerns in their own words. Our research team identified 16 distinct privacy concerns that were grouped into 3 categories.

Interpersonal

Perceived risk of potential harm (physical, financial, social, emotional), risk of interpersonal conflict, reduced sense of personal control.

“What info should I make private, and what should my settings be set to in order to be safe from harm?”

Data collection & use

Perceived invasiveness, reduced sense of personal control, appearance the company benefits from more than the user.

“Why can’t you ask me for permission before collecting and using my info?”

Data access

Risk of interpersonal conflict, reduced sense of personal control, appearance the company or other people benefit more than the user.

“How do I hide or delete my personal info?”

scope of responsibilities

· Privacy Checkup
· Manage Activity
· Auto-Archive
· FB Settings
· Access Your Information
· Download Your Information
· Privacy Education
· Privacy Policy
· Privacy Center
· Account Center

gallery

“We’re rolling out a new privacy center globally that will put the core privacy settings for Facebook in one place and make it much easier for people to manage their data."

- Sheryl Sandberg, served as the Chief Operating Officer (COO) of Meta

outcome

In 2021, Facebook, now Meta, overhauled its privacy settings, consolidating them into a more privacy-centric format and introduced the Privacy Center to educate users about data privacy across its apps. This update, aimed at enhancing transparency and ease of use, was a response to feedback and evolving global data protection regulations.

Reduced privacy settings from 20 screens to one with six categories.