Excited about Facebook Home but wondering what the privacy aspect of it is looking like? Facebook has published a Q&A-format response to the most common questions that have been asked so far, addressing things like what information Home will gather and what it can see. We’ve got a full run-down of the privacy information, which you can check out after the jump.
First things first, Facebook says not to worry: you don’t have to use Home if you don’t want to, and can instead continuing to use the regular Facebook app as if nothing has changed. In addition, if you install Home or purchase a device on which it is preinstalled, only to discover that you don’t like it, you can turn it off under “Settings” or remove it from your lockscreen, whichever you prefer. Home “is a new way to experience Facebook,” not a replacement for the current method.
That aside, those who do elect to use Facebook Home will find that privacy remains consistent with what is already present with Facebook. For example, Home will collect data when it is used to, for example, comment on a friend’s status. The app will also pull some other information about how it is used, such as apps that are added to the Home launcher. It will also show app notifications and thus acquire certain pieces of data, none of which includes content from within, for example, the notification. Identifiable data is stored for 90 days.
Likewise, Home is limited to “seeing” only the ways in which you interact with it, but not specific information. Because of this, the things you do in other apps – such as searching for an address in Google Maps – will not be available to the platform, although it will know that you opened Maps. Of course, apps that you have authorized to share information with Facebook is different, but that is something that pre-dates Home and hasn’t changed. For more information, you can check out Facebook’s Data Use Policy.
[via Facebook]
