The Hidden Secrets of Online Quizzes

LegionKK points out a story on PC World, sending along this excerpt: "Ultimately, deciding whether you should take an online quiz comes down to a question of trust: Are you comfortable putting your information — personal or financial — into the owner's hands? Remember, even if you don't directly input data, it can be passed along. Such is the case with Facebook, where just opening an application automatically grants its developer access to your entire profile. And don't assume that the developer isn't going to use the information within. [...] The ads can follow you long after you click away, too. Just look at RealAge, a detailed quiz that assigns you a 'biological age' based on your family history and health habits. The site, a recent investigation revealed, takes your most sensitive answers — those about sexual difficulties, say, or signs of depression — and sells them to drug companies looking to market medications."

Comments

Real Age doesn't "sell" your details.

[Anonymous Coward]

Real Age tells advertisers "would you like us send an email to someone who has lifestyle X, Y, or Z and who wants to receive emails about it" and then sends the promotional information on behalf of the advertiser.

Re:Real Age doesn't "sell" your details.

[dgatwood]

No, most of the tests are user-generated things created with one of a couple of "quiz generator" applications. The IQ test, AFAIK, is not a Facebook app, though its ads and stylemake it look like one. It's a scam to get people to give them their cell phone numbers.

Re:Real Age doesn't "sell" your details.

[ivucica]

In that case, it's a case of horrible UI design.

Allowing APPLICATION-X access will let it pull your profile information, photos, your friends' info, and other content that it requires to work.

So, where do I disable access to my profile for APPLICATION-X, but not for all other apps? How do I anonymously give it a test drive? How deeply do I have to dig to disallow all apps the access to my data? When I find it, again, how do I disallow access for APPLICATION-X?

This is how it should be done:

Allowing APPLICATIONX access will let it pull your:

• [x] profile information,
• [ ] photos,
• [ ] your friends' info,
• [ ] and other content

  that it requires to work.

Was it that hard, Facebook?

Also, I just noticed. "Your friends' info". Since my friends can see my entire profile ... does that mean an app can see my entire profile just because one of my friend launched it? Note, I didn't launch it. My friend did. How deeply does the access for an application go?

Perhaps I should once again deactivate my Facebook account. These things are definitely unclear for the end user and until access to private data can be more easily controlled for Facebook Platform applications, it'll stay that way. And rummaging through settings, finding privacy settings, and having them set globally is not my idea of fun. I do want OTHERAPP-Y to access my data. I just don't want APPLICATION-X to access my data...

I never understood..

[DavidChristopher]

... the need for people to take these quizzes - especially on Facebook - What's your favorite cheese? Which celebrity are you? Does he like you? How Sexy Is Your Name? What Does Your Eye Colour Mean?Some of them are rather clever (RealAge) and yet also evil (RealAge). Okay, maybe not 'kill puppies' evil, but all of these are datamining personal information from the poor suckers that need a webpage to tell them if they're happy or that brown eyes means that they're mysterious. I've been warning folks about this kind of thing for years, to no avail. - Not all apps are trojan horses, but why be a market research tool?

It would be interesting to see an audit of companies like zynga ( http://www.zynga.com/ - zynga is a purveyor of web based games like Vampires, Texas Holdem, Scramble or YoVille on social networking sites such as facebook and myspace) - I'm certain that part of their revenue comes from "market research support". This is the new spam, and it's tricking the gullible into being it's corporate marketing test group.

[Block this Application]

[interactive_civilian]

If you use Facebook, then this option should be your best friend. Use it with impunity. I use this for every Application invitation I receive, and the amount has dropped dramatically as I cull the available option.

Because, no, I don't want to join your vampire army, zombie army, mob, poker game, I don't care if you are interested in me or now, and I really don't care what kind of sandwich, beer, flower, country, actor, power tool, car, coffee, breakfast cereal, of language I am. And, no, I don't want every lame-ass developer to have access to any and all information I put up on Facebook.

I just wish you could block people's newsfeed posts on a per application basis, rather than only per user.

Re:[Block this Application]

[Alan Shutko]

For a while now, you can block applications on your news feed, by going to the hide menu next to the post and selecting "Hide [This Stupid App]." You can't hide it from the iPhone App, or from the list on _their_ profile page, but it's better than nothing.

Unfortunately, almost every quiz shows up as a new app.

Re:Stupid article

[RR]

It's not hard. If you give information, ANY INFORMATION, to anyone for anything you have to check *what* they are going to do with it. This means reading their T&C's, following up all that brings up etc. Or, you can just NOT give out personal information that you don't want spread around.

The problem with this approach is that Facebook just grants access to ALL INFORMATION when you accept an app. Whether the program is one of these silly quizzes or actually does something useful, you have to grant them the same level of access.

Doing the quiz using a fake profile is no good, either. For most of my circle of acquaintances, the quizzes and games are played for the social aspect. Otherwise, do you think you have a personal need to know your alchemical element or Disney princess or whatever? If you’re not careful, your fake profile could become as important as your real profile.

The articles are really obvious, but they’re important for being an authoritative source that I could point to, so I could explain my position to my friends.