Social media giant Facebook has launched a new online tool in Ireland to allow people to see what data has been collected on them via their accounts, including when navigating the internet outside Facebook.

Facebook said it is publishing its privacy principles for the first time and rolling out educational videos to help users control who has access to their information, as it prepares for the start of a tough new EU data protection law.

Facebook Inc is proposing to clarify how it manages user data for advertisements, as part of an agreement stemming from a settlement of a class-action lawsuit.