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Tech Report: Facebook Changes Privacy Policy Again

SAN FRANCISCO (KCBS) — Get ready for more changes to Facebook's privacy policy. The social networking site is revealing much more about how it uses the information it collects about users to comply with a data protection audit ahead of it's initial public offering of stock.

It's mostly just minor changes and clarifications that does things in a clearer way, which is a good thing for the most part.

One interesting change is that they're saying they might show ads off of Facebook and that the ads might include, "social context". But that may or may not be the case.

For instance, if you like something on Facebook now, your Facebook friends may know about it; but in the future, people on other sites may also know through use of cookies and other technology to share that information.

KCBS Tech Report:

Other companies do this as well. Anyone who thinks that an activity on a site is limited to that site, needs a lesson in tracking cookies. You could be looking at a pair of shoes on Amazon and next thing you know, you see a shoe ad somewhere else. Essentially Facebook is saying they may start doing this.

There is a way for users to give their input on the changes. Facebook has a link on its site where you can give feedback. The company is trying to act a little more democratic, although with Mark Zuckerberg holding 57 percent of the voting stock, I would hardly call it a democracy.

The changes in policy comes as the company is getting ready to go public next week. Once you become a public company you're under a lot more scrutiny.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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