Facebook has a newly added feature that lets users in the US and Canada transfer photos and videos to Google Photos. The tool was first introduced last year in certain parts of the world, but it was only yesterday the feature had been made available stateside.
The social networking site has made the transfer process quite simple. If you're using a desktop computer, log into your Facebook account and click the arrow on the upper right corner to access your settings. Next, click on Your Facebook Information menu on the left side of the screen and choose Transfer a Copy of Your Photos or Videos.
Facebook will ask you which platform you want your photos transferred, but as of the moment, only Google Photos is the option. Click the prompt to confirm the transfer, and your files should be exported then.
For mobile users, the process is pretty much the same. Tap the hamburger menu, Settings, and then scroll down to select Your Facebook Information. Tap Transfer a Copy of Your Photos and Videos next.
The thing is, Facebook doesn't let you select which photos will be exported. For now, it's all or nothing. And the photos will only be copied to Google Photos -- you will have to delete them manually if that's your goal.
The new feature is part of Facebook's participation in the Data Transfer Project, a collaborative initiative with other tech giants, including Microsoft, Google, Twitter, and Apple. The project's goal is to allow users to transfer their data between online platforms.
It's worth noting though that the project is also a way for the world's biggest tech companies to fend off regulation, as they'll be able to use tools like this to prove they're not holding their users hostage. Should users find their services unsatisfactory, they can just easily leave!
In an interview with Reuters last week, Facebook's Director of Privacy and Public Policy Steve Satterfield said that the new feature is more about abiding by the demands of regulators and policymakers and less about Facebook being in service to its users.
"...It really is an important part of the response to the kinds of concerns that drive antitrust regulation or competition regulation," Satterfield told the news outlet.
The rollout of the new feature arrives ahead of a Federal Trade Commission hearing in September, which will discuss data portability. If approached, Facebook said it would participate in that hearing.
