AGENCIES-
Facebook introduced new features on Wednesday that let users limit how much personal information they share with third-party mobile apps, a move meant to quell privacy concerns as the social network seeks to become a top entry port to the Internet.
In recent years, Facebook Inc has successfully encouraged a growing number of third-party app makers to allow users to log in with their Facebook identity rather than, say, by entering an email address or creating a dedicated account.
The result has been an influx of valuable data for the world’s No. 1 social network, but concerns have also mounted about third-party developers gaining access to private information.
Chief Executive Mark Zuckerberg said at Facebook’s developer conference in San Francisco on Wednesday that a new version of Facebook’s log-in tool, called “log in anonymously,” would let users control what information they allow third-party apps to see. He told developers the tool would let users feel more comfortable about logging into apps using Facebook.
“By giving people more power and control, they’re going to trust all the apps that we build more, and over time use them more. And that’s positive for everyone,” said Zuckerberg.
The revamped log-in screen will let users select which personal information stored on the social network, such as an email address, birthday or items that they have “liked” on Facebook, can be accessed by any particular app.
The user’s names and gender will remain visible to the app.
