Facebook’s updated privacy controls take it beyond Google+’s Circles

Facebook just announced on its blog that it is rolling out a litany of privacy-related updates that streamline its various interfaces, simplify privacy control, and add more power in the hands of users.

Facebook has always had a feature similar in function to Google+’s Circles but it has so far been underemphasized and complicated to use. It is now being moved to the forefront, with the lock button under the sharing widget getting a more verbose and prominent look. The button will now spell out exactly which groups or individuals can see each post you make to the website. The company is also replacing the word “Everyone” for each post’s privacy settings to “Public”, to better reflect its meaning.