Status update: Facebook has updated its search engine to include all public posts on the social network.
It s a move that could step up Facebook s competition with Twitter and Google. It means the social network could host more real-time conversations about news, which tends to happen more naturally on Twitter — where users also follow people they don t know, not just their friends. And it could help Facebook divert some search traffic from Google, if Facebook users stay on the site and use its search instead of heading over to a new tab and Googling a topic.
We re updating Facebook Search so that in addition to friends and family, you can find out what the world is saying about topics that matter to you, Tom Stocky, Facebook s vice president of search, wrote in a blog post today about the update s U.S. rollout.
The search upgrade comes as tech companies venture further into the news business, as I wrote earlier this week. Twitter s Moments feature, which curates the news, aims to attract new users. Facebook has partnerships with publishers galore — and this search move will make those publishers articles more accessible, even to users who may Like those publishers.
The move inevitably raises privacy questions, and it s a good time for Facebook users to check their settings. Facebook can t be any clearer: All 2 trillion posts, it said today, are now searchable. It will be possible for anyone to stumble upon your post or comment about your love of Star Wars if your post is set to Public, and that might be fine with you if you want to engage with other enthusiasts. If you live to argue about politics and religion on Facebook, the world is ever more your oyster. But as with all public online conversations, trolling is a possibility. And theoretically, public posts will now be easier to find by everyone from advertisers to potential employers to law enforcement.
Above: Screenshot from Facebook
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