Facebook Blasted Over Online Advertising Plan
Facebook is taking a pounding by privacy rights groups highly critical of the social networking site's new advertising program. The addition of Social Ads and what are called Beacon ads, which Facebook announced earlier this month, are in the crosshairs of privacy rights groups who say Facebook goes too far in sharing its users' personal information with marketers and the public.
Facebook Social Ads are designed to tell members which of their friends have signed on as "fans" of advertisers working with Facebook. Beacon ads notifies Facebook members' friends about their purchases on sites other than Facebook. The new advertising systems allows more than 60 companies working with Facebook on the ad program to gather insights into users' activity on Facebook, according to Facebook.
Facebook does allow users to opt-out of participating both advertising programs, however privacy rights groups say the opt-out process needs to be easier.
Facebook in response to criticism from Electronic Privacy Information Center, MoveOn, and the Center for Digital Democracy is reportedly considering changing its stance on sharing users' buying habits and activities with businesses. BusinessWeek.com is reporting Facebook could make "alterations" to specifically its Beacon system today.
EPIC Executive Director Marc Rotenberg is quoted in a story at MediaPost Publications stating, "Part of what Facebook is doing is taking from people the value of their endorsements, which traditionally is something that people can be compensated for, and selling it back to their advertisers."
Interest group MoveOn.org has started a petition campaign and Facebook group against this feature. It views Facebook's Beacon advertising program as an invasion of privacy. "When you buy a book or movie online--or make a political contribution--do you want that information automatically shared with the world on Facebook?" MoveOn states on its Web petition.
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"Facebook is taking a pounding by privacy rights groups highly critical of the social networking site's new advertising program."
Looks like Facebook is following many of these social networking sites that eventually cave in to giving up the privacy and respect.of their users..... eventually they all want to make money and thus they need that informationfor the ads...in fact it looks like Facebook is already doing this. I saw a blog where they are asking everyone to strike on 12/16/07 by not visiting their page at Facebook. Have you heard of this?