First things first - the European Union's upcoming privacy changes known as General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) go into effect on May 25 this year. And Facebook is preparing for it. It's released 7 privacy principles that help the users know how their data is used, making it easier for users to delete information, and giving them full control of their privacy. 

Principle 1: We give you control of your privacy

You should be able to make the privacy choices that are right for you. We want to make sure you know where your privacy controls are and how to adjust them. For example, our audience selector tool lets you decide who you share with for every post. We develop controls based on feedback from around the world.

Principle 2: We help people understand how their data is used

While our Data Policy describes our practices in detail, we go beyond this to give you even more information. For example, we include education and tools in people’s day-to-day use of Facebook – like ad controls in the top right corner of every ad.

Principle 3: We design privacy into our products from the outset

We design privacy into Facebook products with guidance from experts in areas like data protection and privacy law, security, interface design, engineering, product management, and public policy. Our privacy team works to build these diverse perspectives into every stage of product development.

Principle 4: We work hard to keep your information secure

We work around the clock to help protect people’s accounts, and we build security into every Facebook product. Our security systems run millions of times per second to help catch threats automatically and remove them before they ever reach you. You can also use our security tools like two-factor authentication to help keep your account even more secure.

Principle 5: You own and can delete your information

You own the information you share on Facebook. This means you decide what you share and who you share it with on Facebook, and you can change your mind. That’s why we give you tools for deleting anything you’ve posted. We remove it from your timeline and from our servers. You can also delete your account whenever you want.

Principle 6: Improvement is constant

We’re constantly working to develop new controls and design them in ways that explain things to people clearly. We invest in research and work with experts beyond Facebook including designers, developers, privacy professionals and regulators.

Principle 7: We are accountable

In addition to comprehensive privacy reviews, we put products through rigorous data security testing. We also meet with regulators, legislators and privacy experts around the world to get input on our data practices and policies.

But privacy controls are only powerful if you know how to find and use them. Starting today we’re introducing educational videos in News Feed that help you get information on important privacy topics like how to control what information Facebook uses to show you ads, how to review and delete old posts, and even what it means to delete your account. 

Important Things To Know 

1) Privacy Checkup 

Facebook is inviting users to take Privacy CheckUp  to review their privacy settings and to check whether they're sharing right kind of information with the right people. 

Note: Privacy Checkup isn't available to everyone right now. For example, you may not have access to Privacy Checkup on certain devices. 

2) Privacy Center 

A new privacy center will be introduced soon, and it will feature core privacy settings in a single place.It will be designed based on the feedback from people, policymakers and privacy experts around the world.

3) Resources 

Facebook is developing resources on data protection to help small and medium sized businesses to help users build privacy into their services. Here's a detailed  FAQ on the new and tough GDPR. Throughout 2018, Facebook will be hosting workshops on data protection. The first workshop was hosted in Brussels. Also, Facebook is planning to host Design Jams that bring designers, developers, privacy experts and regulators together - with the purpose of creating new ways of making people aware on their data privacy rights.