Facebook’s apology ad tries to remind you of the good times

Remember when Facebook was a place where you wished happy birthday to people you never interact with otherwise and occasionally pulled up an ex’s current pictures to see how they’re doing? In an apparent bid to pull the narrative back from its executive’s TV interviews and a couple of appearances in front of Congress, the social network has started airing this ad promising “Facebook will do more to keep you safe and protect your privacy.” Spam, clickbait, fake news and “data misuse” are all cited specifically as things that are going to change, even as Cambridge Analytica and AI nipple recognition go unmentioned.

If your account is already deleted or you’re holding fast to a theory that the company monitors your microphone for ad targeting this video is unlikely to change your mind. The question for people who are more casually aware of the current environment of privacy reckonings is whether it makes them feel safer about logging into Facebook or not.