Facebook, Beacon, and (your disappearing) Privacy
2 min read
Given the growing hullabaloo over Facebook's newly released advertising program, the thing that surprises me the most is that people are actually surprised. In its Privacy Policy, Facebook contains the fairly broad statement in the "Third Party Advertisers" section:
Advertisements that appear on Facebook are sometimes delivered (or "served") directly to users by third party advertisers. They automatically receive your IP address when this happens. These third party advertisers may also download cookies to your computer, or use other technologies such as JavaScript and "web beacons" (also known as "1x1 gifs") to measure the effectiveness of their ads and to personalize advertising content. Doing this allows the advertising network to recognize your computer each time they send you an advertisement in order to measure the effectiveness of their ads and to personalize advertising content. In this way, they may compile information about where individuals using your computer or browser saw their advertisements and determine which advertisements are clicked. Facebook does not have access to or control of the cookies that may be placed by the third party advertisers. Third party advertisers have no access to your contact information stored on Facebook unless you choose to share it with them.
This privacy policy covers the use of cookies by Facebook and does not cover the use of cookies or other tracking technologies by any of its advertisers."
Facebook also revels in unintentional irony:
Facebook is about sharing information with others
and
We allow you to choose the information you provide to friends and networks through Facebook.
These statements create the lines you need to read between. They do not specify whether you have an opt out or an opt in policy, but that's not even the point. The point is, whether you opt in or opt out, Facebook still collects your data. Whether or not they show it onscreen or not is only marginally relevant. They have records of how you have used their site, and that information is valuable to people who want to sell you things.
And, according to their Terms of Service and Privacy Policy, which all site members have agreed to, they can use it as they see fit.
