Facebook is developing a new privacy and data policy and is asking for your feedback on the changes.
The social network plans to update its terms of service for the first time in three years, the company said in a statement Wednesday. Facebook will also update its data policy in an effort to ease user concerns about the security of their data. Over the next week, users can submit feedback and suggestions through the company's Help Center.
The new policies come after the announcement that Mark Zuckerbergwill testify about data security to the US Congressional Energy and Commerce Committee next week.
However, we should not expect any substantial changes to Facebook's policies regarding data collection and other similar practices.
This is because the updated Terms of Service are more about making Facebook's policies easier to understand than changing its practices.
“These updates are to make things clearer,” Facebook said in a post about the terms update. “We’re not asking for new rights to collect, use, or share your data on Facebook. We’re also not changing the privacy choices you’ve made in the past.”
Instead, the new terms of service, which users will have to agree to after completing them, will provide additional information about new features and capabilities that have been added to Facebook since its last update three years ago. Similarly, the new data policy will explain more clearly how the company handles user data and what information it shares with third parties.
You can provide Facebook with feedback on the new terms within the next 7 days.
Certainly, any change that makes Facebook's policies easier to understand is welcome, even if it doesn't fundamentally change the way the company operates. Now, at least, we might have a somewhat better idea of what we're agreeing to when we accept the Terms of Service.
