Facebook now lets you download more of your data, including previous names, friend requests and IP addresses

Coming under fire over its access to private information and its advertising services, Facebook today announced that it has expanded the breadth of its ‘Download Your Information‘ tool, allowing users to backup more detailed information from their social networking account.

Posting to its Privacy page, Facebook details the new data it will make available to users:

Now you can access additional categories of information, including previous names, friend requests you’ve made and IP addresses you logged in from. This feature will be rolling out gradually to all users and more categories of information will be available for download in the future. Download Your Information is available from your Facebook Account Settings.

The Facebook account history archive already allows users to obtain a copy of photos, posts, messages, a list of friends and chat conversations, launching back in 2010. However, the new data will be a lot more specific and gives users the option to check over when they accessed their account and where from.

Facebook says that it will roll out the update to its ‘Download Your Information’ gradually, adding more data to it in the near future. The tool can be found in the Account Settings page of a user’s profile, existing as a way to hold a copy of exclusive information that may have been shared on the social network.

The company is quick to point out that it will not download friends’ photos or status updates or other people’s personal information. Users will also not be able to backup comments they have made on other people’s posts.

Last month, Facebook moved to warn employers, colleges and government agencies that if they requested the Facebook login details of prospective employees and students, it could issue legal action against them.

The company is still the target of complaints that it doesn’t do enough to protect user information but this will go some way to helping users understand what they share and post on the website.