( CNN ) -- A large pop-up box will greet Facebook users logging on to the social-networking site on Thursday , asking them to modify their privacy settings . The company says the changes will help streamline privacy controls that have confused many of its 350 million users and were sprawled over six separate pages . What is getting the thumbs-down . Complaints have started flowing in , focusing on three areas : . The changes treat as `` publicly available information '' the following : your name , profile picture , current city , gender and networks , and the pages you 're a fan of . Until now , you had the option of restricting much of that information . That option has been removed . The ramifications , as the nonprofit Electronic Frontier Foundation sees them : . `` For example , you might want to join the fan page of a controversial issue ( like a page that supports or condemns the legalization of gay marriage ) , and let all your personal friends see this on your profile , but hide it from your officemates , relatives or the public at large . '' You can not do so now . The foundation says : `` These changes are especially worrisome because even something as seemingly innocuous as your list of friends can reveal a great deal about you . In September , for example , an MIT study nicknamed 'Gaydar ' demonstrated that researchers could accurately predict a Facebook user 's sexual orientation simply by examining the user 's friends list . '' Facebook counters that a user 's friends list can be made nonviewable . But it is either viewable by all or by no one . Another source of consternation is Facebook apps , such as the quizzes developed by third parties that many users are fond of taking . Until now , Facebook provided an option so you could specify that your information not be shared with others when one of your friends adds such an app . But now , whenever a friend adds an app , your `` publicly available information '' becomes accessible to the developer . So why did Facebook undertake the changes ? The Weblog TechCrunch explains it this way : If a user retains the `` Everyone '' option , the information is accessible by the Web at large . `` In short , this is Facebook 's answer to Twitter . ... That means Facebook can leverage it for real-time search , and can also syndicate it to other places , like Google and Bing . The feature has been available in the site 's privacy settings since last summer , but most people did n't use it ( and probably did n't even know it was there ) . The new privacy launch today puts this as the default option for many users . '' The changes have met with mixed reaction . By early Thursday , more than 2,700 users had approved of the changes on the Facebook blog . But about 700 people said they were unhappy . `` The new setting [ s ] are ridiculous , '' commented user Victoria Anne Archer . `` I have less control than before and my friends are visible to everyone ... I ca n't hide them ... but I have no choice ... because if I select only friends ... then NO ON [ E ] CAN FIND ME ! '' What is getting the thumbs-up . The most commended aspect of the new settings is that they allow users to micromanage who can access every bit of information on the site . One way to do so is to separate your friends into lists and grant those lists varying levels of accessibility . For example , if you would rather your bosses not know what you do on downtime , you can place them on a specially created list . In addition , a user can specify accessibility post by post . After each status update you type or photo you post , you can pick from a drop-down menu whether you want that item visible to everyone , to just your friends , or to friends of friends as well . How to access the changes . The new controls will be available under the `` Settings '' link at the top right of every page , in addition to being available in the dialogue box . For each section -- profile information , contact information , applications and search -- users will be asked to pick from three options about who can access the information : Friends , Friends of friends , or Everyone . The changes do away with `` regional networks , '' which let users designate themselves as residents of a geographic area . But Facebook is retaining school- and company-based networks . It is worth noting that many users will find their privacy options set at `` Recommended settings '' by default . If you retain those , your information will be available to everyone . If you would rather the site not share your information publicly , you will need to click through each section and restrict it to `` Friends '' only . This applies for photos as well . A user will have to specify album by album how much access to grant others . In addition , you will have to go under `` Search '' and specify whether you want Facebook to make your information available to users who look for you on Facebook and on the Web .
Pop-up on Thursday asks Facebook users to change their privacy settings . Some users dislike how much information is made public to non-friends unless they make changes . Comment: Blog calls the changes `` Facebook 's answer to Twitter ''