Facebook stages Christmas privacy pop-up to win back public trust
Facebook has held a privacy pop-up event in New York as it seeks to reach out to the public directly to win back their trust following a succession of controversies and scandals.
Facebook stages Christmas privacy pop-up to win back public trust
The new PR approach saw the social media giant set up a trailer in Manhattan from which to beckon passersby in order to ‘help people manage their privacy on Facebook’, although no more than a few thousand people at most are expected to benefit from the stunt.
Staff were on hand at the one-off temporary venue to answer questions and hand out pamphlets outlining Facebook’s privacy stance, with its doors open from 11:00 till 21:00, as the social giant seeks to massage public perceptions dented by the Cambridge Analytica scandal and an explosion of fake news.
Speaking to The Guardian, Facebook’s chief privacy officer, Erin Egan said: “We’ll hopefully have a few hundred, or a thousand people know (about Facebook’s privacy settings), they’ll share that with their friends and families so they’ll be able to educate others.
“This isn’t a silver bullet. We’re also doing other things online, through the Facebook platform we’re sharing more of our privacy shortcuts, so we’re doing lots.”
In a more sure-fire method for winning over the public Facebook was also offering free hot chocolate for anyone willing to give up their time.
Facebook posted its slowest ever growth in July as privacy concerns eroded trust in the platform.
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