Slashdot Mirror
Facebook, Others Giving User Private Data To Advertisers
superapecommando sends along a Wall Street Journal report that indicates that Facebook's privacy troubles may be just beginning. "Facebook, MySpace, and several other social networking sites have been sending data to advertising companies that could be used to find consumers' names and other personal details, despite promises they don't share such information without consent. The practice, which most of the companies defended, sends user names or ID numbers tied to personal profiles being viewed when users click on ads. After questions were raised by The Wall Street Journal, Facebook and MySpace moved to make changes. By Thursday morning Facebook had rewritten some of the offending computer code. ... Several large advertising companies ... including Google Inc.'s DoubleClick and Yahoo Inc.'s Right Media, said they were unaware of the data being sent to them from the social networking sites, and said they haven't made use of it. ... The sites may have been breaching their own privacy policies as well as industry standards. ... Those policies have been put forward by advertising and Internet companies in arguments against the need for government regulation."
Guess the Journal forgot Rupert also owns MySpace.
they were unaware of the data being sent to them from the social-networking sites, and said they haven't made use of it
Ahh, they didn't use it. Then it's all right.
Nothing to see here.
I wonder if TPB could use the same defense. "Wait what? You can SEE the downloaded movies? Whoa!"
People still click on ads?
http://xkcd.com/743/