Facebook gives users power to limit comments on public posts
31 March 2021, 11:04
People who share something publicly can now choose to limit comments to friends or only those tagged in it.
Facebook users sharing posts publicly have been granted the ability to restrict who comments in a move to “limit potentially unwanted interactions”, the social network has announced.
The change follows similar action by Twitter, meaning people who publish content visible to everyone now have the option to only allow comments from their friends, or tighten it further to only users and pages tagged.
Ramya Sethuraman, Facebook’s News Feed product manager, said the new controls would particularly help public figures “feel safe and engage in more meaningful conversations”, as social media firms continue to grapple with hate speech on their platforms.
“By adjusting your commenting audience, you can further control how you want to invite conversation onto your public posts and limit potentially unwanted interactions,” she explained.
“This new tool is the latest example of how we’re helping you control and curate your News Feed to best reflect who you are as your interests and priorities evolve.”
Facebook is also making it easier for people to decide how their News Feed is prioritised, with the introduction of a Feed Filter Bar.
The feature sits at the top of the main page, allowing users to switch between an algorithmically-ranked order of posts, chronological or just see content from those selected as favourites.
This is will be available to Android app users first, before rolling out to those on iOS devices “in the coming weeks”.
Elsewhere, the tech giant is aiming to make the reasons for suggested posts clearer, by expanding the “Why am I seeing this?” box with more context.
It will explain factors that influenced a recommendation, which range from the types of content a person has recently engaged with on the platform, to their location.
