( CNN ) -- Facebook and online privacy : For several years now , it 's been hard to talk about one without talking about the other . And Facebook 's latest offering , called Home , is no exception . Facebook Home is an Android app that acts like a skin , updating the standard Android mobile operating system with a more modern , Facebooky decor . The Android home screen is replaced with a graphic version of the Facebook news feed that automatically flips through the latest happenings from your friends . The phone 's home page has additional Facebook features for posting to the site and communicating with friends . Facebook Home is a more convenient way for heavy Facebook users to use the social network 's services . It is also a more powerful tool for Facebook to potentially collect information about a person , and it gives the company more ways and places to serve up ads . This is a tricky balancing act for Facebook , which makes the majority of its revenue on advertising . Knowing more information about a person means Facebook can better target ads to them , and make more money . Some pundits and privacy experts are already raising concerns about the potential for data grabs by Facebook . Om Malik of the site GigaOm says , `` this application erodes any idea of privacy . If you install this , then it is very likely that Facebook is going to be able to track your every move , and every little action . '' And Parker Higgins , an activist with the Electronic Frontier Foundation , told Digital Trends : `` They will get information about who you 're calling , how often , and how long you 're speaking to them . That 's a lot of information , and combined with the rest of your Facebook communications , ( it ) could paint a very clear picture of your private life . '' So what will be collected ? On a regular phone , Facebook 's data collecting powers are limited to what you do inside the official Facebook mobile app or on the site in a browser . Facebook Home frees Facebook from that prison and gives it wider rein to collect more information about a person 's location , actions and communications . Built-in GPS technology means smartphones know where a person is at any given time . Phones with Facebook Home could access this information at any time to determine what businesses or neighborhoods you visit the most or even where you live . That data could then be used to serve up a more personalized ad , such as a coupon for a store you 're near or coffee shop you visit every Sunday . A Facebook representative told CNN that Home will not actively track users ' GPS location . In addition to any Facebook messages or calls you already send or make , Facebook Home pulls SMS text messages into the mix . Who you talk to , when you talk to them and , in the case of text messages , what you talk about are possibly fertile grounds for data collection . Third-party apps are also part of the Facebook Home ecosystem , though in a somewhat limited way . `` For a small randomized rolling subset of users , we will be collecting information ... around what applications you launch and when , '' the Facebook spokesman told CNN in an e-mail . `` We do not collect any information about your activity within third-party apps . '' People already willingly share much of this information with Facebook . But Facebook Home , running in the background on your phone , will make it easier for the company to quietly collect data on everything you do . The difference is between actively sharing information -- uploading an image with location data , checking into a restaurant or other business -- and passively sharing it ( what the tech companies like to call `` frictionless '' sharing ) . In other words , telling Facebook where you are , who your friends are and what apps you like wo n't be optional , it will be automatic . Facebook said Home requires no new privacy controls and will respect all existing privacy settings . Will Facebook fans care ? Facebook has long been plagued by privacy concerns over confusing privacy controls and data mining , but such worries do n't seem to have had any significant impact on its core users . A recent survey by the Pew Research Center found that 61 % of Facebook users have taken a break from the social networking site , but only 4 % cited privacy concerns as a reason . Facebook Home , which launches on April 12 , is n't being forced on anyone . Downloading the app is entirely optional , as is buying a new HTC phone with Home preinstalled . Much of the outrage over past Facebook privacy issues has been because they were mandatory and affected everyone . Many of the Facebook faithful may have resigned themselves to the idea that what they do on the site is tracked -- a fair enough exchange for a free service that keeps them in contact with friends , family and people they sort of knew in middle school .
Facebook Home would give the company access to more of your personal data . Things like a friend 's location could be automatically recorded in the background . Facebook could also see who you call and text , and tell what apps you use and how often . The company says it will not actively track users ' home locations .