Facebook Simplifies Privacy Policy – Again

facebook-privacyThis week, Facebook announced another tool designed to further simplify its privacy policy and make it understandable to the layperson. The feature, called “Privacy Basics,” is a set of interactive guides that walk users through basic security questions, like how to delete content from the site and how to limit visibility in search.

In addition to the new look, Facebook also edited the language in its privacy policy to make it less legal-sounding and complicated. It has also been dramatically shortened, down from about 9,000 words to only 2,700.

“The idea here is to give people more accessible information about how Facebook works,” Erin Egan, the company’s chief privacy officer, told The New York Times. “It’s simpler, it’s easier to read.”

The new policy also clearly spells out how Facebook tracks users and gathers their information, and how the site puts it to use. Perhaps foreshadowing Facebook’s apparent interest in entering the realm of online payments, new language was also added that details what information Facebook collects during financial transactions.

Per usual, Facebook’s new language is only a “proposal” for now, and users will have seven days to comment on it before Facebook will make its decision whether or not to implement it. After the changes are made, the new language will roll out on the site in 30 days. If you’d like your voice to be heard, you can share your comments with Facebook here.



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