Facebook has confirmed the company can see what users type even if their posts are never published, and says users were notified of this possibility in their Data Use Policy.

A study on self-censorship online showed that Facebook can track any post longer than 5 characters typed into the online social network, even if the user never publishes the post, the Los Angeles Times reports. Researchers considered a post to be self-censored if it was not published within 10 minutes. Facebook said it does not record the exact content of what users type before they publish, just that users are typing something. The company also said it has no plans to track unpublished words that users type.

“We receive data about you whenever you use or are running Facebook, such as when you look at another person’s timeline, send or receive a message, search for a friend or a Page, click on, view or otherwise interact,” Facebook says in its Data Use Policy.

Users who want to prevent Facebook from seeing their unpublished posts either can turn off Javascript or delete their Facebook accounts.

[LAT]