Facebook updates privacy policy

LOS ANGELES - Facebook Thursday updated its privacy policies, with the goal of making it easier for the 1.3 billion users of the social network to opt out of sharing everything about themselves to the entire world.

Facebook tried to update the policy it in an easier to read fashion, cutting out about 70% of the legalese that went over most people's heads.

The new policy is offered in a color coded, interactive fashion, inviting folks to click various buttons to learn how to make changes on Facebook.

But the bottom line hasn't changed: Facebook knows who you talk to, what music you listen to, what TV shows you watch, what restaurants you visit, and uses all of that information to try and sell you things.

The updated privacy policy shows you the tools for "taking charge of your experience," on Facebook, showing how to untag, unfriend and block folks you don't want to hear from, or how to write a post for a specific audience.

For instance, posts can be made to be public or just to a specific group of friends.

You can decide who can post to your timeline--"friends," or "only me."

What hasn't changed is control users have over ads.

Facebook admits that it tracks the location of posted photos, who you talk to on Facebook Messenger, what products have been purchased via Facebook, what kind of credit cards and computers you use. The company uses that "information to send you marketing communications."

Facebook's new privacy policy is being presented as a work in progress, as the company accepts input from users through Thursday.

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