Facebook Touts Privacy And Picks Up Patents

This week the folks at Facebook have updated their privacy policy to reflect changes made approximately six months ago – these changes including changing out the word "privacy" and retitling it a "Data Use Policy." You can read the entirety of the Facebook Data Use Policy on their webpage if you wish, the update coming through on September the 23rd, 2012. As for the patents in this case, Facebook has announced that they've picked up no less than 750 patents from IBM to help them fight future patent infringement lawsuits – shields up!

This patent buy has Facebook defending itself with software and network technologies copyright, and the entire price of the purchase has not yet been confirmed. Facebook's latest patent record included 56 issued patents and 503 filed patent applications in the USA alone, as PC Mag reports, all of this recorded last year. Facebook is likely responding now to suits such as the Yahoo case from earlier this month.

As for the current "Data Use Policy" in place of what Facebook had until recently called its "Privacy Policy," one should note that everywhere other than that one page, Facebook still links this set of rules and regulations as its Privacy Policy. A Privacy Policy is something a major webpage must have in place for the vast majority of 3rd party advertising sites to work with them. Facebook having their own advertising network may very well allow them to circumvent said policy.

Are you satisfied with the amount of privacy you have on Facebook?