Facebook to launch privacy center ahead of GDPR deadline

Social media giant Facebook announced today that it will make it easier for users to manage their data. The move comes in advance of the May 2018 deadline for General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance, which outlines a wide variety of enhanced consumer digital rights for citizens in the EU.

According to Reuters, Facebook Chief Operating Officer Sheryl Sandberg made the announcement at an event this week in Brussels.

“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,” Sandberg said. “Our apps have long been focused on giving people transparency and control and this gives us a very good foundation to meet all the requirements of the GDPR and to spur us on to continue investing in products and in educational tools to protect privacy.”

Facebook has faced EU regulator scrutiny on a number of privacy and data handling-related fronts. Organizations in breach of GDPR can be fined up to 4 percent of teir annual global turnover or €20 million (whichever is greater).