Facebook's new tool lets users control what they see, share on their News Feeds

Facebook is launching new updates that allows users to control their News Feed algorithm, according to a statement by the tech giant.

The platform will introduce the Feed Filter Bar, which allows users to switch between an algorithmically-ranked News Feed and a feed sorted chronologically with the newest posts first by choosing the "Most Recent" button.

The Feed Filter Bar will also include the Favorites tab, launched in 2020, which allows users to prioritize posts from the friends and Pages they want to hear from. The Feed Filter Bar will also include the Favorites tab.

Users are now able to control who can comment on their public posts by selecting from a menu of audience options. Facebook users can select from anyone to only the people and Pages they tag.

The new updates are available for Android and will be available for iOS in the coming weeks.

"Wherever possible, I believe that people should be able to choose for themselves, and that people can generally be trusted to know what is best for them," Facebook's vice president of global affairs, Nick Clegg, said in an essay published on Wednesday. "But I am also acutely conscious that we need collectively-agreed ground rules, both on social media platforms and in society at large, to reduce the likelihood that the choices exercised freely by individuals will lead to collective harms."

Facebook says it will also expand the "Why am I seeing this?" button, which provides more context around the content the platform suggests in the News Feed. The content could appear in someone's News Feed due to related engagement, related topics or location.

Users can adjust this feature by heading to the News Feed preferences and privacy settings in the app.