Facebook today announced changes to its terms of service and policy. With the new terms, it once again legalizes the tracking of its members' online habits through cookies, explicitly stating that they will use the data they collect for advertising purposes .
This is of course not new, but once again the social network is making it clear to everyone who believes in their online rights and privacy. 
The company states:
“By using our services, starting January 1st, you agree to our Terms of Use, Data Policy, and Cookie Policy as amended. You also agree to see improved ads based on the apps and websites you use. Learn more about these amendments below, as well as how you can control which ads you see.”
The full text can be found here.
How to partially protect yourself
“If you don’t want Facebook or other companies to collect and use information based on your activity on websites, devices or apps outside of Facebook to show you ads, you can opt out of receiving such ads from partner companies through the Digital Advertising Alliance in the US, the Digital Advertising Alliance of Canada in Canada or the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance in Europe. You can also opt out through your mobile device settings.”
From the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance , follow the guide to behavioral advertising and online privacy. You will find information about how this type of advertising works, the so-called “cookies”, and simple steps to protect your privacy online. In case you do not find the information you are looking for, you can contact the service.
In the Choice Management (wait until the website loads) you will find some of the companies that partner with websites to collect and use your information to provide behavioral advertising.
You can use the buttons to set your preferences. You can enable or disable all companies, or set your preferences for specific companies. By clicking on 
you can learn more about the specific company and whether it is enabled or not in the browser you are using.
5 tips to help you manage your online privacy from the European Interactive Digital Advertising Alliance.
 | Don't panic.Behavioral advertising is safe and transparent. Advertisers don't know who you are because the information they collect cannot identify you personally, and they rely on your browsing habits to serve you ads that reflect your interests.Learn more about behavioral advertising. | |
 | Look for information about behavioral advertising on every website you visit.Every website that uses behavioral advertising should have information about the collection and use of data, whether the collection is done by the website itself or by a third party, such as an ad network. | |
 | Companies that handle behavioral advertising should also provide information about how you can opt out.You can opt out here. | |
 | Familiarize yourself with the privacy settings on your computer.These settings can be found in the “Options” menu of your browser. When choosing cookie settings, remember that they often make websites more user-friendly (e.g. your site preferences, language settings, passwords, etc.) |
The example below shows how privacy settings are made in Internet Explorer.
 | Try to adjust your privacy settings to suit the needs of your household.Each of us uses the Internet in different ways and for different purposes. In households where more than one person uses the same computer, we recommend that each user has their own account. This way, the privacy settings will be tailored to the needs and requirements of each user. |
