Facebook today introduced an updated version of its app permissions dialog that makes it clearer what an app will do, what information it can access and who it shares activity with after being installed. According to a post on the company’s Developer Blog, the new dialog will be mandatory for all apps on Feb. 15.

As the social network prepares to expand the number of Open Graph apps that can continuously publish to Ticker, News Feed and Timeline, it is taking steps to help users feel comfortable adding them. Old versions of the Auth Dialog were vague and did not provide inline controls. Many users either allowed permissions they didn’t understand and subsequently got frustrated with apps taking actions on their behalf, or they avoided adding apps all together. The new design aims to alleviate this with clear sections “About this app,” “Using this app requires” and “Who can see activity from this app on Facebook.”

Users can adjust their privacy settings for the app directly from the permissions window. Although this may lead some users to limit the groups of people it shares app activity with, it is ultimately good for the platform to provide these controls. An all-or-nothing approach could lead to backlash and impede growth.

When developers ask for extended permissions, these will show in a second dialog with the option for users to deny individual requests. Facebook is providing a section of this window to explain why the app is requesting the permissions. This is an improvement over the old dialog, which could turn off some users who did not understand why an app might want to access their photos or manage their events.

The social network revealed a similar version of the Auth Dialog for Timeline apps at f8 in September. One difference with this update is the lack of visuals. As seen below, Facebook had previously tested a permissions box that included examples of how the app would appear on a user’s profile.

Facebook also announced that it will deprecate the offline access permission. This was one of the most difficult permissions for users to understand. Eliminating it as a specific request could improve an app’s accept rate. Facebook said it will provide developers an alternative way to reset the expiration time for valid, existing access tokens. Developers who had been using the offline access permission will have until May 1 to update their apps.

A version of the old Auth Dialog, including the offline access request, is seen below. Note how unlike with the new dialog, none of the language is customized for the app.

Article courtesy of Inside Facebook

Today Facebook is launching a new dashboard that helps provide visibility and control over how applications use your data. The dashboard combines two previously separate  screens for managing application and Platform privacy.

The dashboard lets users see and control three major things:

1. Users can see all the permissions they’ve granted to an application.

Previously users would allow applications access to data upon install but there was no way to see what they had granted after the fact.

2. Users can manage what permissions an app have over time.

Users grant some persistent permissions upon install, such as the ability to access your profile data at any time. Now users can remove those permissions after the fact. They can control the permissions one by one on a granular basis, or remove the app completely.

3. Users can see what API calls an apps are making on their behalf.

Users will now have access to a detailed log of exactly what APIs their apps are calling. Users can see which data is being pulled from them, or from their friends on their behalf. Application developers will also get better visibility of what data they’re pulling.

Article courtesy of Inside Facebook

Today, at Facebook’s product announcement, founder and CEO Mark Zuckerberg announced a new dashboard for users that will allow Facebook members to see how many sites and applications they’ve allowed to access their personal data through the network and Facebook Connect.

It’s actually a brilliant idea. With more than 1 million sites using Facebook connect and hundreds of thousands of Facebook apps, it can be easy to lose track of what personal information apps have access to.

The dashboard, which will be available in your Privacy Settings, shows three major pieces of information. First, the dashbaord shows the permissions the app has access to within your social graph. Second, the dashboard will let you manage the permissions that apps have over time, so you can restrict apps from being able to access certain parts of your information or restrict actions (i.e. posting on your wall). Lastly, the dashboard will show you a detailed access log of what API calls each app is using.

For example, you could restrict an App from being able to post information on your wall. Or you could remove an application completely from within the dashboard. With the heightened concern of privacy on the social network, a dashboard that empowers users to have control over their personal information accessed by Facebook apps will no doubt be a popular feature.

Article courtesy of TechCrunch