Facebook announces tool to make it easier to quit the platform

Menlo Park, California - Facebook's Transfer Your Information tool has just been updated, making it easier than ever to control what info you want to pull off of the website and what you want to keep. But does this mean users will leave the platform en masse?

Though probably not designed for users intending to leave Facebook, the new Transfer Your Information tool does make it easier to do so.
Though probably not designed for users intending to leave Facebook, the new Transfer Your Information tool does make it easier to do so.  © 123rf/ pixinoo

Though the tool's new revamp does make it easier for users to export their information before closing their account, there are other reasons people might want the ability to pull a copy of their info off of the social media site.

"To provide people with choice and control over their data, we’ve spent the last few months rebuilding our data portability tool from the ground up," Facebook said in a post.

According to SlashGear, you can access the new feature by first going into your settings, then navigating to "Your Facebook Information." From there, you can then click "Transfer a copy of your information."

Now that exporting to Google Calendar is supported, event information can be pulled from Facebook into the calendar directly – a plus for keeping things organized.

The addition of a PhotoBucket collaboration may also provide peace of mind for folks who are concerned that the only copy of their beloved photos is housed on Facebook's servers.

Keeping photos separate from social media can also be useful, particularly when you want to share them with users who don't have a Facebook account.

Facebook also said the update includes "filters that allow people to more precisely select the data they want to transfer." It can be helpful for those who want to create a separate profile, perhaps for professional purposes, and allows only specified data to be exported.

Whether the new tool will encourage more people to jump ship from Facebook remains to be seen.

Cover photo: 123rf/ pixinoo

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