Facebook adds anonymous login with customizable data sharing options

At Facebook's developer conference, F8 the social network has made a major change with the way users sign in to web apps and personalize what data they share.

Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg demoed a completely new anonymous login on the stage floor. Zuckerberg explained this is the login for users who want to demo an app without having to make a new account or those that aren't ready to sign in with their real identity.

Essentially the new login creates a new anonymous account that's link to the user without accessing any of their personal information or the ability to post or show up in their regular Facebook account.

At the same time anonymous users will be able to take their incognito selves across devices including tablets and web browsers.

"This is going to allow you to try apps without fear," Zuckerberg said at the F8 keynote. If users so choose to associate themselves with the app afterwards, they can login with their real identity to personalize their experience.

Check yourself

Along side the new anonymous login, Zuckerberg also revealed Facebook is also improving privacy with the typical app login.

Whereas the login box thus far has only given options to deny or allow an app to post as the user, the new privacy controls expands to a line-by-line option menu. From this menu users will be able to decided if they want to share their public profile information including likes, friend lists, their email address, and birthday.

"This is going to make people more comfortable signing in to their apps and engaging with them," Zuckerberg said. "This new log in is all about giving you more control."

More control

Beyond giving more control to one user at a time, each users can also now limit the way it pulls data from anything their friends share whether it be a photo or friend lists.

"Everyone has to choose to share their own data with an app themselves," Zuckerberg explained at the keynote.

All in all these are the privacy controls that users have been clamoring for. However, even with the new tweaks that still leaves a lot of older login permissions unchecked unless users go into their app settings and changed them manually.