Facebook extends privacy features to mobile site

Facebook has made it easier for users to control privacy settings from mobile phones

Facebook is giving its 500 million users access to their privacy settings via mobile devices.

Subscribers with a smartphone or tablet will be able to fully customise their settings, and apply controls over who can see their content.

"You are in control of how you connect and share on Facebook," said Facebook mobile product manager Michael Eyal Sharon.

The changes follow user feedback, and bring the mobile site up to the same standard as the desktop version.

"All of Facebook's privacy controls are now available from any browser-enabled mobile device," said Sharon. "Few online services offer any privacy controls to their mobile users. None that we know of offers the same control as the desktop version."

Sharon added that mobile devices are becoming more sophisticated, and that it is important to provide the same security features.

"Wherever you are connecting and sharing through Facebook, you should be able to make real-time decisions over your information. Now you can," he said.

Users can access the new privacy settings page via their mobile browser, and will be able to fully customise them down to a granular layer. Some users may not find the pages open to them yet as Facebook is rolling them out gradually.