Facebook will forge ahead with its plan to go global early Tuesday morning, The Daily has learned.

The popular social networking site, once the exclusive domain of college students, will allow anyone with a valid e-mail address to sign up and join a regional network. The announcement comes on the heels of increased privacy awareness and negative feedback due to the Sept. 5 addition of the “Facebook News Feed” feature.

It is unclear what the initial student reaction will be to the site opening its doors to the general public—a public that may include potential employers, or even parents. When news of the potential change was made public weeks ago, thousands of users created or joined online groups protesting the addition.

Facebook has undergone a series of changes since its creation in 2004. A year ago, the site opened to high school students, and in May allowed selected work networks to come on board. While the site has continued to skyrocket in popularity—currently boasting around 9.3 million users—privacy concerns have not gone away.

Employees of Facebook have remained steadfast in their efforts to allay concerns over user privacy with the imminent expansion.

“No one will be able to see your information unless you say you want them to be able to,” Facebook co-founder Chris Hughes said in a Sept. 14 online chat with college journalists. “The idea is that you have complete control.”

Look for more coverage of Facebook’s expansion online and in Wednesday’s edition of The Daily.