Facebook says it’s responded to user comments and concerns about privacy by announcing it will introduce simpler and more powerful controls for sharing personal information.

New settings will give the more than 400 million people who use Facebook the power to control exactly who can see the information and content they share, all with just a few simple clicks, according to Facebook Founder/CEO Mark Zuckerberg in an online blog (http://blog.facebook.com/). In addition, new settings will be added to make it easier to turn off third-party applications or web sites, he adds.

The company’s new privacy controls reflect wide-ranging consultation with the office of Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) and a number of online privacy and consumer advocacy groups. These include the Center for Democracy and Technology, Consumer Action, Future of Privacy Forum, Electronic Frontier Foundation, Progress and Freedom Foundation, NetChoice, CATO Institute, TRUSTe, Technology Policy Institute, and Information Technology and Innovation Foundation.

These updated controls will start rolling out today and will be live for all Facebook users in the coming weeks, according to Zuckerberg.