Facebook’s constant battle on privacy issues is a boon to Google+ who’s sorted out this issue well with Circles. On the ease of use for privacy on what is or isn’t shared, Google+ is a clear winner. Google learned a lesson from the launch of Buzz and no doubt closely looking at Facebook’s approach to this issue. Facebook has suffered a number of privacy scares as it has grown. Default Settings Facebook, in my opinion, *gets default privacy settings wrong*. Unless you actively investigate your settings, Facebook will automatically share your * Status*, *Photos*, *Posts*, *Bio* and *Family/Relationship* info with * everyone*! Worse still, this is the *recommended setting*. Google+ does this *differently*. As you create your profile, you set up who can see what as you go. This gets users involved with privacy settings right from the start, which I think is *a much better approach*. Photo Privacy Some people don't like being *tagged*, meaning their Facebook experience revolves around quickly responding to notification emails, jumping in and un-tagging themselves from images. Google+ by default lets people in your Circles tag you in images, but you can change this so your *approval is required* for tagging. Approval for tagging is an excellent feature that stops any embarrassing/unwanted photos taking you by surprise! Conclusion Facebook's privacy options have changed a lot over the years, and have certainly improved. However, they still *need tighter default settings*. There are still many users who may not be tech-savvy enough to realize how much they share publicly on Facebook. Google+, with its Circles feature, makes controlling who sees what very easy. Privacy settings are also more flexible, and your *images are much easier to control*. It looks like Google has listened to people's concerns about Facebook privacy, and made a social network/sharing experience that is built on user control of data. ----------------------------- Regards, Yvonne Mwajuma