{"id":31514,"date":"2014-11-14T16:17:57","date_gmt":"2014-11-14T08:17:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/?p=31514"},"modified":"2014-11-14T15:59:59","modified_gmt":"2014-11-14T07:59:59","slug":"facebooks-privacy-update-5-things-to-know-about-how-your-data-are-tracked-and-used","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/2014\/11\/14\/facebooks-privacy-update-5-things-to-know-about-how-your-data-are-tracked-and-used\/","title":{"rendered":"Facebook\u2019s privacy update: 5 things to know about how your data are tracked and used"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Gil<\/a>
Gil C \/ Shutterstock.com<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

NEW YORK\u2014Facebook is once again trying to simplify its privacy policy, largely to address criticisms that it\u2019s too complex and lengthy for the average user.<\/p>\n

Laid out with illustrations into short subsections, the new policy explains what types of information Facebook collects and how it uses the data. The new policy is 70 per cent shorter than the old one.<\/p>\n

Many of the changes are cosmetic, designed to make the policy easier to digest. Still, it helps to go through it to get an idea of all the things Facebook knows about you.<\/p>\n

Users have until Nov. 20 to comment on the proposed changes or ask questions. A finalized version will take effect soon after that.<\/p>\n

Here are five things to remember about Facebook\u2019s data policies.<\/p>\n

Location, location<\/h6>\n

Facebook only recently began allowing businesses to advertise to users based on their specific location. Previously, ads were targeted based on the \u201ccurrent city\u201d listed on the profile. Both the old policy and the new one note that the company can access your location information based on your smartphone\u2019s GPS information. The new policy points out that Bluetooth and Wi-Fi signals can also reveal device locations.<\/p>\n

Besides that, Facebook can also collect information from the photos you share on the site, including where they were taken.<\/p>\n

Beyond Facebook<\/h6>\n

Facebook doesn\u2019t just track what you do on its site. It also collects information about your activities when you\u2019re off Facebook. For example, if you use Facebook to log in to outside websites and mobile apps, the company will receive data about those. It also gets information about your activity on other businesses it owns, such as WhatsApp and Instagram, in accordance with those services\u2019 privacy policies.<\/p>\n

Ad targeting<\/h6>\n

Unless you decline targeting, or opt out, companies whose websites you visit off Facebook can also show you ads on Facebook. For example, a website can use browser cookies to record who visited it. It can then ask Facebook to show ads to these visitors\u2014both on and off Facebook. If you want to opt out in the U.S., you can visit this website: http:\/\/aboutads.info\/choices<\/a><\/p>\n

All eyes on you<\/h6>\n

Everything is fair game. Facebook explains it best: \u201cWe collect the content and other information you provide when you use our Services, including when you sign up for an account, create or share, and message or communicate with others.\u201d Plus, Facebook says it also collects information about how you use Facebook, \u201csuch as the types of content you view or engage with or the frequency and duration of your activities.\u201d<\/p>\n

Shopping spree?<\/h6>\n

Facebook is testing a tool to let people buy things directly through its site. If you decide to do this, Facebook will collect information about your transaction, including your credit card number and billing and shipping address.<\/p>\n

Facebook\u2019s updated data policy: http:\/\/on.fb.me\/1wYGJjt<\/a>\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NEW YORK\u2014Facebook is once again trying to simplify its privacy policy, largely to address criticisms that it\u2019s too complex and …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":44,"featured_media":31515,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-31514","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-technology","mauthors-barbara-ortutay","mauthors-the-associated-press"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31514","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/44"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=31514"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/31514\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/31515"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=31514"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=31514"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/canadianinquirer.net\/v1\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=31514"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}