Facebook announced on Nov. 15 that its newest data center located in Altoona, Iowa is already online following the completion of the facility's first building. A second building is currently being constructed on the same site.
In a post, site manager Brice Towns said, "Along with our Prineville, Forest City, and Lulea data centers, Altoona is now one of the cornerstones of the global infrastructure that brings Facebook to you every day."
Altoona has not been a particularly popular town, being home to only 15,000 residents, but it now houses a $300-million investment owned by one of the most popular and richest brands on the planet. Towns remarked that this newest addition to Facebook's assets is one of the most advanced, eco-friendly, and efficient data centers to date.
He said, "Like our other data centers, Altoona is cooled by 100% outside air, and it features the latest in hyper-efficient Open Compute Project gear. Altoona is also our first data center to take advantage of our innovative new networking fabric... (and) will be powered by 100% renewable energy."
Meanwhile, as Facebook continuously strives to accommodate its ever-growing membership, there is also the vital issue of privacy. The company introduced Privacy Basics, which is an interactive guide so users can more easily learn how to have control of their personal information — that is, what data other users can see.
In a post by Erin Egan, the company's chief privacy officer, she said, "Privacy Basics is the latest step we've taken to help you make sure you're sharing with exactly who you want, including our privacy checkup, reminder for people posting publicly and simplified audience selectors."
The company also introduced new ways to control what appears in the News Feed. Further, come January 2015, they will reduce promotional posts that show up in the News Feed. Facebook says this move is in response to user feedback, as many prefer reading posts from friends and about topics that they care about. The Inquirer, however, deems that this is more to sell ads and increase its advertising revenue. Conversely, Facebook assures users that this move will not increase ads that appear in the News Feed.
As for advertising, Egan said, "And we're continuing to improve ads based on the apps and sites you use and expanding your control over this kind of advertising."
