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Facebook Axes "Beacon," Donates $9.5M To Settle Suit
alphadogg sends in a Network World piece that begins "Facebook has agreed to shut down a program that sparked a lawsuit alleging privacy violations, and set up a $9.5M fund for a nonprofit foundation that will support online privacy, safety, and security. The lawsuit centers around Facebook's Beacon program, which let third-party Web sites distribute 'stories' about users to Facebook. Beacon was launched in November 2007 and less than a year later plaintiffs filed a class action lawsuit 'alleging that Facebook and its affiliates did not give users adequate notice and choice about Beacon and the collection and use of users' personal information.' ... Facebook never admitted wrongdoing but as part of a proposed settlement the company began sending notices to Facebook users this week. The settlement provides no compensation directly to users who receive the notice. Facebook users can opt out of the settlement, and should do so if they wish to pursue further legal action against Facebook related to the Beacon program. 'If you choose to do nothing and remain in the settlement class, you will be legally bound by the settlement,' a FAQ on the settlement Web site says. "By doing nothing, you will be giving up the right to sue Facebook and the other Defendants over claims related to or arising out of the Beacon program.'" Other defendents included Blockbuster, Fandango, Overstock.com, Zappos.com, and Gamefly. Neither the article nor the settlement site mentions what part, if any, they play in the settlement.
It depends on your feelings of privacy. Myself I tend to give out a decent amount of information to my Facebook friends because the vast majority of them either A) are trusted friends or B) random strangers who I might never meet in my life. However, beacon is a bad thing for a lot of people who might need privacy or who have Facebook-stalking loved ones who may jump to conclusions. Think about it this way, you are on a business trip and decide to order at an upscale restaurant for just you because you like the food, yet your Facebook-stalking wife/girlfriend sees a beacon post about your reservation and thinks that you -clearly- are seeing someone other than her and no one would ever eat at an upscale restaurant just by themselves and clearly your business trip you are on is simply a front for you to cheat on her. And yes, stuff like this does happen. If you are lucky enough like some people (like you and me) not to have friends who don't trust you, but some people are unlucky enough to have situations like this.
Taxation is legalized theft, no more, no less.