Mark Zuckerberg's company Meta, formerly known as Facebook, has revised its Terms of Service and updated its privacy policy "to make it easier to understand and to reflect the latest products we offer."
The revised Terms of Services said that Meta "is not collecting, using or sharing your data in new ways based on this policy update and we still do not sell your information."
The update modified the language used and adds examples to help people understand what each segment is about, as per The Verge.
Meta Will Not Collect Data in 'New Ways'
The Verge compared the old policy with the new one and based on the comparison, the company's argument that they won't collect data in new ways in indeed true.
In a comment to The Verge, John Davisson, the senior counsel for the Electronic Privacy Information Center, said that the promise that this policy won't share data in new ways sounds good.
However, "the problem is that Facebook already funnels user data at industrial scale into a vast targeted advertising ecosystem. So the status quo is not good for privacy," Davisson said.
Over the last few years, Meta has made actions about making its policies simpler and easier to read more than once, and so far, this layout may do the best job.
However, as much as it helps people reflect and understand their undertakings - the terms of services may help Meta more.
For Davisson, it's "unrealistic" to believe that Facebook users will read dozens of pages about how the company handles data. However, Meta will try to make it appear like the company is now more concerned about privacy, as per 9to5Mac report.
According to The Verge, including examples helps prevent the kinds of misunderstanding and misinterpretation of rules.
The new policy applies to Facebook, Instagram, Messenger, and other Meta products, but not WhatsApp, Workplace, Messenger Kids, or Quest devices used without a Facebook account (as these have their own privacy policies).
Another feature that Meta is rolling out is the new Audience Controls on Facebook that change who might see the posts you make.
Read Also: Meta Won't Be Hiring Anyone Anytime Soon - Here's Why and When It Will Start
The Privacy Controversies of Facebook
According to 9to5Mac, Facebook's business is heavily based on selling user data for advertising.
Facebook unsurprisingly spoke out against Apple when Apple announced App Tracking Transparency to force apps to ask for users' permission to track them.
Even the company's engineers have no idea how to manage user data in a way to truly protect it, as revealed by an internal document from the Facebook Ad team earlier this year.
According to Facebook employees, the platform's database has "open borders."
Recently, the company stopped some location-based features of Facebook, including "Nearby Friends" and "Location History," as both features collected the user's location in the background.
However, Facebook's app collects location data "for other experiences."
Since the service's debut, Facebook's policies have changed repeatedly. This is amidst a series of controversies covering everything from how well it secures user data, to what extent it allows users to control access, to the kinds of access given to third parties, including businesses, political campaigns, and governments.
