• by Mark Walsh  @markfwal, May 24, 2010

Following a month-long backlash to its Open Graph initiative, Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg said in Washington Post op-ed piece today the company will add new privacy controls that are simpler and allow users and provide an easy way to turn off all third-party services.

"The biggest message we have heard recently is that people want easier control over their information. Simply put, many of you thought our controls were too complex," wrote Zuckerberg. "Our intention was to give you lots of granular controls; but that may not have been what many of you wanted. We just missed the mark."

Backtracking on privacy policy after launching new programs that unleashed storms of criticism has become a familiar pattern for Facebook, with Open Graph and especially the new Instant Personalization feature causing the company's biggest privacy crisis to date. Many, including members of Congress, will be watching to see exactly how Facebook responds in updating its privacy controls this time around.