Facebook is not asking for new rights to collect, use or share your data on Facebook. They are also not changing any of the privacy choices you’ve made in the past.(Photo: AFP/File)

It’s important to show people in black and white how our products work – it’s one of the ways people can make informed decisions about their privacy. So Facebook is proposing updates to their terms of service that include commitments to everyone using Facebook. They explain the services they offer in language that’s easier to read. They are also updating our data policy to better spell out what data they collect and how they use it in Facebook, Instagram, Messenger and other products.

These updates are about making things clearer. Facebook is not asking for new rights to collect, use or share your data on Facebook. They are also not changing any of the privacy choices you’ve made in the past. Here are a few examples of Facebook claims that users will find ahead:

New features and tools: Facebook is providing information on recently introduced features. Since last updated terms or data policy (three years ago), you can now buy and sell items on Marketplace, start a fundraiser for a cause you care about, share Live and 360 video, and add creative effects to your photos.

Personalized experience: Everyone’s experience on Facebook is unique, and Facebook is providing more information on how this works. They explain how they use data and why it’s needed to customise the posts and ads you see, as well as the Groups, friends and Pages Facebook suggests.

What Facebook shares: Facebook says that they will never sell your information to anyone. They have a responsibility to keep people’s information safe and secure, and they impose strict restrictions on how our partners can use and disclose data. They will explain all of the circumstances where they share information and make their commitments to people clearer.

Advertising: You have control over the ads you see, and Facebook doesn’t share this information with advertisers. Their data policy explains more about how they decide which ads to show you.

One company: Facebook is part of the same company as WhatsApp and Oculus, and they explain how they share services, infrastructure and information. Facebook will also make clear that it is the corporate entity that provides the Messenger and Instagram services, which now all use the same data policy. Your experience isn’t changing with any of these products.

Device information: People have asked to see all the information Facebook collects from the devices they use and whether they respect the settings on your mobile device. They have also added more specific information about the information they are collecting when users sync their contacts from some of their products, including call and SMS history, which people have recently asked about.

Addressing harmful behavior: They better explain how they combat abuse and investigate suspicious activity, including by analyzing the content people share.

In the next week, users will be able to provide their feedback on the terms and data policy. Once finalized, they will publish these documents and ask users to agree to them on Facebook, along with information about the choices they have over their privacy.