Late last month, Facebook proposed some changes to its privacy policy, and in response, the social network received around 4,000 comments and a disapproving letter from a German official.  So late last night, a Facebook representative took some time to discuss the suggestions.

On the Facebook Blog, Barry Schnitt, a director on Facebook’s Communications and Public Policy team, first had to address some misunderstandings.  It seems that more than a few Facebook users have failed to educate themselves about the current state of things, and so asked for features that already exist or protested procedures that don’t.

As for the big change that Facebook would actually like to make – providing some information to third-party sites – Schnitt explained, "These partners will be pre-selected, reviewed, and bound by contracts with Facebook . . . .  In addition, partners who participate in this test will be required to provide an easy and prominent method for you to opt out directly from their website and delete your data if you do opt out.  There will also be new features on Facebook.com to help you control your experience when you visit these sites."

Schnitt then stated, "In sum, the core idea behind this test is to work with partners to enable them to present you with a better, more relevant, and tailored experience when you visit their sites."

Facebook’s now working on drawing up some revised privacy documents, and they’re supposed to go live within the next few days.