Facebook has been making strides to change the public’s perception towards how transparent and open they are about the data collected on its users, and what the company does with that data.
Over the past year they have released new features that give users more control over how much of their information is public, and how much information third party services can gather about them.
For a complete overview about these features and privacy settings, Facebook just released a new section on privacy basics which is full of interactive guides answering the most pressing questions about how to better control the information you share on the network.
While that is certainly useful, it’s not the most interesting thing they revealed today. In an unprecedented display of transparency, Facebook has laid out new privacy policies outlining some proposed changes to the site dealing with payments, ads, and location information.
Facebook explains exactly in its new data policy plans how they will collect and use your payment information, and how they may soon go about serving ads based location information.
Here are some excerpts from their new data policy plan that are particularly worth noting.
On collecting payment information:
If you use our Services for purchases or financial transactions (like when you buy something on Facebook, make a purchase in a game, or make a donation), we collect information about the purchase or transaction. This includes your payment information, such as your credit or debit card number and other card information, and other account and authentication information, as well as billing, shipping and contact details.
On serving ads based on location:
We’re updating our policies to explain how we get location information depending on the features you decide to use. Millions of people check into their favorite places and use optional features like Nearby Friends. We’re working on ways to show you the most relevant information based on where you are and what your friends are up to. For example, in the future, if you decide to share where you are, you might see menus from restaurants nearby or updates from friends in the area.
The company is even giving users an opportunity to weigh in on the proposed changes before they go into effect. Perhaps if enough users complain then these changes won’t be made? That part wasn’t exactly clear. However, it does go to show that transparency is becoming more important to them as a company.
