No longer will users be required to navigate through both account & privacy settings pages to manage  sensitive Facebook information. The social networking giant is releasing a series of features that simplifies privacy controls thanks to new tools, a centralized settings page and simple privacy shortcuts.

Facebook’s privacy has come under fire legally and competitively with the ease of Google+’s selected sharing and straightforward privacy. The new changes being implemented by Facebook will make privacy an elementary procedure for users.

Better Privacy Controls & Shortcuts

The most noticeable change for users will occur in the upper left corner in the notification bar. A new lock icon will exist that feature simple shortcuts like “Who can see my stuff?,” “Who can contact me?,” and “How Do I Stop Someone From Bothering Me?” The previous two pages (account settings & privacy settings) will be combined so that all necessary information will be housed in one location.

Apps will also be requiring new permissions for user information. Instead of creating one notification message about using information and posting information, two seperate notifications will exist to help users better control what they share with apps. For example, with this method a user can sharing of personal data with Spotify in one request, but deny Spotify from posting on their wall in another request.

Better Education Around Privacy

More in-context notices will be coming to Facebook to help educate users on the fly. A series of messages will be displayed to show what content is hidden, and what it actually means from a privacy standpoint.

Updates to the activity log will also help users understand just who can see eacy activity posted to Facebook. The updates will allow users to see what posts have been hidden, and where other posts appear on Facebook.

New Privacy Tools

A new “Request and Removal Tool” will be available to users that will allow them to take action on photos they’ve been tagged in.

The tool will work across multiple pictures and will let users ask friends to take down pictures they don’t like, along with explanations why. The tool will also allow for the un-tagging of multiple pictures at once.

These tools will begin rolling out during the end of 2012.

Related Topics: Channel: Consumer | Facebook | Facebook: Privacy | Legal: Privacy | Top News

About The Author: Greg Finn is the Director of Marketing for Cypress North, a company that specializes in social media and search marketing services and web-based application development. He has been in the Internet marketing industry for 6+ years and specializes in Social Media Marketing. You can also find Greg on Twitter (@gregfinn) or LinkedIn. See more articles by Greg Finn

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