In a bit of a surprising update, Valve has now greatly increased the amount of control you have over the privacy of your Steam account. So while you could always go with the nuclear option and set yourself as fully private, you can now also individually limit and customize what other people can see.

"Today’s update expands on your Profile Privacy Settings Page, giving you more control over the privacy of your Steam account," reads the brief update. "With more detailed descriptions of what profile information is included in each category, you will be able to manage how you are viewed by your friends, or the wider Steam Community."

"Additionally, regardless of which setting you choose for your profile’s game details, you now have the option to keep your total game playtime private. You no longer need to nervously laugh it off as a bug when your friends notice the 4,000+ hours you've put into Ricochet."

As for the future, you might be interested to hear that Valve is now working on a brand new "invisible" mode. It will function in a very similar way to the current "offline" mode, though it will allow you to still view your friend list, as well as send and receive messages. A small feature in the grand scheme of things, but a very welcome one regardless!

If you have any questions, or even suggestions about the privacy update, make sure to head on over to the Steam forums as Valve is currently looking for feedback.