Facebook is testing the "delete account option", a new feature that makes it easier for people to permanently quit the social networking site, according to a post on Slashdot on Monday.

Using the function, users will be able to permanently delete their account and all the information they have shared.

Currently, deleting a Facebook account is a tedious process that takes at least 14 days. The new feature will reportedly bypass the two-week trial period, allowing users to delete their accounts immediately.

The site was criticised earlier this year for changes to privacy settings on its website which could have led to users publicly sharing more information than they realised.

Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg said that the company would be streamlining privacy settings across the site, so that one privacy filter would automatically be applied to all parts of a user's profile.