Reading Between the Lines of Zuckerberg’s Facebook Privacy Manifesto

In a 3,200-word essay on Wednesday, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg outlined a plan for the social network to become a “simpler platform that’s focused on privacy first.” It sounded like a momentous shift for the company, which has been pilloried for the past several years over its ravenous appetite for personal data.

But is Facebook really changing its stripes? Mr. Zuckerberg outlined a number of actions that he suggested would turn Facebook from the digital equivalent of a town square into something more like a living room. They included moves that will give users more control over how long photos and other items linger on the social network. Facebook will make its various messaging services interconnect with each other and in a more secure way. There is cause to be skeptical of the company’s plans though.