[...] GigaOm brings up the old privacy issue, (a topic constantly talked about with social network) yet we forget that we are the ones that populate the profiles and information on these free to use websites. Before we throw a rock out the window, we should first look in the mirror. [...]

[...] Malik queries as to whether this is a privacy nightmare, as opting out (from a “sending out” point of view), may not eliminate the data from [...]

[...] is Facebook a cat about to cough up a privacy hairball? Or the harbinger of a newly friendly relationship between marketers and web users? It’s [...]

[...] Is Facebook Beacon a Privacy Nightmare? [...]

[...] για κάμερες στους δρόμους. Το Facebook είναι πλέον privacy nightmare — και δε νομίζω πως τα όσα έχει δείξει μέχρι στιγμής [...]

Facebook Ad Platform Launches Amidst Much Criticism

Facebook, the popular social network has announced the launch of its own advertising network, Facebook Ads, which went live yesterday. The advertising platform will provide three products to advertisers: Social Ads, Facebook Pages and Beacon, in additi…

[...] Is Facebook Beacon a privacy nightmare? [...]

[...] of online advertising has dominated the conversation: from MySpace’s Hyper targeted ads to Facebook’s new ad-system to broadband advertising systems introduced by companies such as AnchorFree. The advertising of [...]

[...] Next Stop For Facebook: World Domination TechCrunch: The Facebook Ad Backlash Begins GigaOm: Is Facebook Beacon a Privacy Nightmare? Sphere: Related [...]

[...] news of online advertising has dominated the conversation: from MySpace’s hyper- targeted ads to Facebook’s new ad system to broadband advertising systems introduced by companies such as AnchorFree. The advertising, of [...]

Give Facebook’s Beacon The Kibosh, Adblocking Styles!

When I was writing about how “average” Facebookers might not like how the new Social Ads might be implemented, in the back of my mind I was wondering how “above-average” Facebookers might take to it.  Geeky coding types being s…

[...] Is Facebook Beacon a Privacy Nightmare? « GigaOM [...]

[...] Om Malik: “Reading that line prompted the following questions, which I put to [...]

[...] by Om Malik Friday, November 9, 2007 at 4:30 PM PT | No comments It has been 48 hours since I asked Facebook to clarify the point about whether a user’s data is still being passed to them from their web partners even after the user chooses to opt out of [...]

[...] has been 48 hours since I asked Facebook to clarify the point about whether a user’s data is still being passed to them from their web partners even after the user chooses to opt out of [...]

[...] Om thinks the same, and you can find a guide on how to block this intrusive product here. Technorati Tags: facebook,facebook pages,business,social media,facebook beacon,om malik [...]

[...] So If you have no clue as to what Facebook Beacon is I suggest you read up. [...]

[...] how users will react. In response to these concerns, William Tildesley created a Facebook group and Om Malik has questioned a representative from Facebook about how users can avoid being tracked, but the [...]

[...] Facebook’s Beacon Raises Privacy Concerns - Facebook yesterday revealed its new three-pronged advertising strategy to mixed reviews. The most common reaction among bloggers was one of confusion–particularly with regard to Beacon, the program that “empowers” users to become product endorsers. Advertisers pay to put a little piece of javascript on their site that sends user interaction information back to Facebook. The user has to agree to allow the Web site to do this, and if they do, their purchase information is sent to their friends via a Facebook news feed.   [...]

[...] sur différents sites partenaires (cf. Facebook ads definitely creepy, possibly illegal et Is Facebook Beacon a Privacy Nightmare?) pour mieux cibler votre profil et celui de vos potes. Autant vous dire que cela pose de très [...]

[...] a follow-up to my last post on privacy, David from the Web Analytics Forum kindly pointed me to an article that explores the ways in which privacy continues to come under attack from the media darling, [...]

[...] the browser level (in Firefox). Beacon is one of the things powering the new Facebook social ads. Go read more about how it works, and why you might want to do more than just adjust the privacy settings in Facebook. (Which you [...]

[...] of the fallout with regards to beacon is the concern over privacy. People are concerned about their online activities being shared on facebook. However, the toast [...]

[...] ad service was pegged as a potential privacy nightmare the day it was launched (November 6) by Om Malik, who raised some pointed questions to the good folks at FB and received responses that were vague [...]

[...] (link) [...]

[...] Facebook’s own page about Beacon is very vague about how it works—just some of techno-/pr-jargon boasting how cool it is. A Google search for “facebook beacon” is not much more help…mostly just links to the people complaining about Beacon invading their privacy and articles regurgitating the complaints. Others, such as Om Malik, have also tried to get more information about Beacon, but with little more… [...]

[...] the typical rants against insidious stealth advertising techniques, but privacy concerns are the primary cause for alarm. It may even be illegal. But I doubt [...]

[...] vad som kan vara försök från Facebooks sida att mörka det hela, även Silicon Alley Insider och Giga Om har riktigt intressant analys kring situationen med Facebook [...]

[...] fact yes. There is something that can be done. You can open your API and use Beacons to spread more content without the use of search engines. Remember that Beacons opt you in by [...]

[...] wondering Colin, if you have any plans to address the Facebook Beacon in a future piece? I know I’ve blocked it via Firefox, but with the size of FB growing [...]

[...] Gigaom lists the companies which have partnered with Facebook. [...]

[...] opt-out (per site or per interaction), rather than choosing to opt-in, in the first place. There is also uncertainly that if you do in fact opt-out, whether or not Facebook still gets sent your third-party [...]

[...] basic review of the issue. Facebook’s Beacon program (already questioned as a possible “Privacy Nightmare” by GigaOm) lets users share their own data about what they like and dislike with other [...]

[...] has recently announced plans to launch its own social advertising styled on Facebook’s controversial Beacon system within the next six [...]

[...] has, of this writing, been trying a new marketing partnership program with several online stores and websites.  Now, when you purchase a book on “dealing with [...]

[...] rigtig meget snak om Facebook som annonceplatform. Og mens snakken primært har drejet sig om, hvorvidt produktet Facebook Beacon er noget skidt, har andre testet Facebook som annonceplatform for at se, hvilke resultater, man kan [...]

[...] from gigaom: “…this is a privacy disaster waiting to happen. The javascript on the Fandango site pops up a little screen which asks if you want to publish the information on Facebook. If you say no, your friends won’t see the information, but apparently Facebook still receives it. This means that if you are a Facebook member, Facebook will know what you are doing on each of their partner sites. And there is no way for you to opt out of that…” (clicky.) [...]

[...] childish allure it’s like Facebook status on ketamine… which given the general disquiet about the Facesoft Beacon advertising system is a somewhat apt analogy. Ketamine will either put [...]

[...] when it happened), but now there is the problem of advertising (ABC political ads for one), privacy while shopping online (Beacon) and I’m sure more to [...]

[...] Posted on November 28, 2007 by dojan Just så skrev Om Malik på sin blogg Gigaom den 6 november i år. Och svarade själv “ja” i slutet av inlägget. Malik [...]

[...] Facebook announced Beacon, Om called Beacon a potential privacy hairball noting that even if you opt out of the information publishing, [...]

[...] (0) Three weeks is a long time on the Internet. It was on November 6, I raised the question: Is Facebook Beacon a privacy nightmare? Three days later, my next post, Facebook’s Cruel Intentions elicited some response from the [...]

[...] to grow its ad network into social networking environments and how Facebook has developed their own new advertising platform for use within their social network. Advertisers are always going to follow [...]

[...] sneakin’ with Beacon. Facebook application snoops on your shopping, has folks up in arms. Thousands of men now explaining random jewelry purchases that have been [...]

[...] headliners like “I’m in Privacy Trouble.. Bitch“. The problem is Beacon’s advertising capabilities are opt-in by default, which raised eyebrows almost immediately. Since most users weren’t [...]

[...] read more | digg story [...]

[...] by Stefan Berteau at Computer Associates has shown that with respect to Facebook’s Beacon, it really doesn’t matter what your opt in status means with respect to your [...]

[...] Beacon advertising technology was launched in first week of November with 44 partner sites including giants like Coca-Cola (KO), Sony Pictures (SNE) and Verizon (VZ). The list does not end here, [...]

[...] they’re doing it and before they know it they’ve signed up and cannot opt out. Facebook has been asked several times if users can opt out of the service, the response most are given is that yes, you can opt out of [...]

[...] It seems that Facebook is going through some growing pains. Their Beacon product is getting trashed left and right as Web 2.0 geeeks question privacy issues. [...]

[...] Plenty of people were worried about the privacy implications (though not as much as the recent Beacon uproar), yet today the Mini-Feed seems strategic and [...]

[...] Is Facebook Beacon a Privacy Nightmare?: GigaOM described the new Facebook advertisement delivery system called “Beacon” might turn out to be a privacy hairball for the company. Read the post clicking the link above. [...]

[...] las primeras críticas, Facebook modificó el funcionamiento del programa, permitiendo a cada usuario desactivar [...]

[...] the total balls-up that is the Facebook Beacon advertising scheme which is now being described as a privacy nightmare. How times change. TCUK digg_url = [...]

[...] those of you who weren’t following the Facebook beacon fiasco - it’s become quite a nightmare for Facebook and they have already capitulated. Facebook [...]

[...] Facebook began utilizing an advertising system they call “Beacon,” which is one of the aforementioned “micro-targeted” advertising systems used to connect [...]

[...] gigaom here are some of the particiapting sites that I also plan to boycott: The 44 sites that have [...]

[...] a post about Facebook’s beacon technology. In course of my homework for writing this post, I visited several other blogs that provided me useful information. I picked their point of view and reproduced it in my post with [...]

[...] response to an issue which has created headlines such as, “Does Facebook Hate Christmas?,” “Is Facebook a Privacy Nightmare?” and “Are Facebook’s Social Ads Illegal?” With enough voices, and media publicity, the [...]

[...] advertising gets more pervasive, intrusive - and therefore less effective. ‘Nough [...]

[...] Nutzen daraus: Habe den feuchten Traum eines jeden Vermarkters, eine immer sendende Datenboje, bei facebook beacon genannt mithilfe dieses Firefox Addons ausgeperrt. Weitere Infos bei [...]

[...] being tracked, but posted to their Facebook News Feed. This resulted in a gargantuan backlash over privacy issues, causing several companies to withdraw from the service and even prompted some users to leave [...]

[...] O Facebook e a privacidade por Alexandre Fugita Um dos assuntos que me chamou a atenção nos últimos dias é uma funcionalidade adicionada ao Facebook chamada Beacon, um mês atrás. O Beacon é uma ferramenta de recomendação que analisa os hábitos de navegação dos usuários do Facebook em alguns sites e informa sua rede de amigos sobre suas ações. Mais ou menos um BigBrother das suas andanças pela internet. Tudo isso não teria causado polêmica não fosse o fato do Beacon funcionar sem você solicitar e sem possibilidade de opt-out fácil. [...]

[...] called “Beacon” that lets websites send status to your mini-feed. It immediately drew a lot of criticism because of its invasion to privacy, to the point that many people figured out ways to block [...]

[...] just gotten to the point of assuming that all social networking sites are Ponzi schemes to bring eyeballs to ads by sending out email “on my [...]

[...] How would you feel if you were at a party and in the middle of your conversation with friends the guy hosting the party announced to everyone what your last purchase was and if you’d like one too you should come and talk to him? Kind of creepy huh? [...]

[...] These partner sites put a little a piece of Facebook javascript on their web site and certain information, cleverly (and innocuously) labeled as a user alert, is sent to Facebook. For instance, Fandago users can publish information about the movies they saw. It all seems like a clever idea because it lets Facebook triangulate your likes and dislikes even more, and deliver more focused ads. - GigaOM [...]

[...] guide, courtesy of yours truly, is about Facebook Beacon, the outside-website-integration idea that provoked a lot of ruckus among techies because it wasn’t as clearly opt-in as it should have been. That, in turn, [...]

[...] may already know, but a very controversial ad system called “Beacon”has recently been added to your Facebook profile meaning external websites (Amazon, Target, shoes, [...]

[...] Take My Word For It (link) (link) (link) [...]

[...] are not saved in their database. With the recent Yahoo! Leaking Data and even more recently Facebooks Beacon debacle this is a great step by [...]

[...] website they visited, searches they made, has been recorded and saved for monitoring pourposes. Om Malik reported on November: Mark Zuckerberg & Co. stood up in front of the advertising community in New York today and [...]

[...] that specializes in targeted advertising. They gather data about your usage on Facebook (and 40+ other sites) in order to server up advertising that you’re more likely to click [...]

[...] Facebook’s recent Beacon kerfuffle raised the ire of its users. Facebook tracked users’ purchases on affiliated sites and [...]

[...] nicht die gleichen Fehler machen wie bei Facebook’s Beacon, nicht dass es auch hier zu einem Albtraum [...]

[...] several weeks of mounting criticism (see here, here and here) Facebook’s CEO issued a public apology, and began steps to make Beacon [...]

[...] note that this is the exact opposite Facebook Beacon from a privacy perspective. I’m talking about taking small amounts of publc profile data [...]

[...] note that this is the exact opposite Facebook Beacon from a privacy perspective. I’m talking about taking small amounts of publc profile data [...]

[...] note that this is the exact opposite Facebook Beacon from a privacy perspective. I’m talking about taking small amounts of public profile data [...]

[...] daily basis and really see some of the process that is helping formulate their points of view. When a story like Facebook Beacon breaks, I can get a feel for the sentiment from marketing bloggers within a couple minutes as the [...]

[...] GigaOm saw it as “a privacy disaster waiting to happen”. [...]

[...] their issues with the newer Beacon addition (Beacongate), which was heavily discussed in the blogosphere. Growing at such a rapid rate, I am sure that Facebook will definitely show up in the headlines for [...]

[...] they’re doing it and before they know it they’ve signed up and cannot opt out. Facebook has been asked several times if users can opt out of the service, the response most are given is that yes, you can opt out of [...]

[...] made the mistake of making the service an opt-out, instead of opt-in. The fact that Facebook receives your actions even if you opt-out out of the feature didn’t sit well with consumers as well as advertisers [...]

[...] machte, egal ob es der Rest des Rests der Welt wissen wollte oder nicht. Manche mögen das als Albtraum bezeichnen, allein, sie erkennen nicht, wie selbstlos Facebook dabei gehandelt hat, indem es [...]

[...] Facebook is no longer the golden child and is being attacked in many ways (be it from their advertising strategy or through the emergence of competitors such as Google and LinkedIn) - their need to stay [...]

[...] 3rd, 2008 (8:35am) Anne Zelenka No Comments Facebook has been pilloried for not caring enough about our privacy. But now they face a call to offer data portability, [...]

[...] Is Facebook Beacon a Privacy Nightmare? (Gigaom) [...]

[...] make several booboos around this in its very short life. Like this. Oh and let’s not forget this. Ahh the follies of youth. No Comments so far Leave a comment RSS feed for comments on this [...]

[...] that be the leap that wasn’t pre-looked) of Facebook’s consumer advertising platform Beacon, Amazon has allowed its users to build up records of what they’ve bought and share it with [...]

[...] stuff does matter, and that these issues are thrown into sharp relief by events such as the recent Facebook Beacon debacle. Essentially, organisations like Facebook and Google make their money out of information [...]

[...] Update: ไม่ขาดคำ มีปัญหาเรื่อง Beacon ที่ละเมิดสิทธิของ Users [...]

[...] social network,” it’s no wonder that Facebook, noted for its  News Feed and Beacon backlash, and MySpace, characterized by the incredible amount of “friend” spam that [...]

[...] case rondom Facebook Beacon was een aardige eerste test. Hoe meer advertising spending, hoe groter de kans op vergelijkbare (of [...]

[...] The key is to balance privacy, user and advertiser relationships so it becomes a win-win. I think Facebook’s beacon will continue to take the brunt of the work and craft a model for social networks to follow. Let me [...]

[...] hold onto the media’s famously short attention span. The Facebook PR campaign (remember the Beacon PR misfire?) is at ramming [...]

[...] it knows exactly who you are. It know exactly what tabs are open in your browser. We have heard the Facebook Beacon row too. Also I don’t mean privacy issues are related to just Google and Facebook. Something [...]

[...] many might, as seen in recent months, decry the idea of sharing information willy-nilly (cf: the Facebook Beacon fiasco), I’m not averse to sharing that information with vendors. But there’s a catch: I want [...]

[...] life, liberty, or the pursuit of happiness in any meaningful way. When they’ve come close to becoming privacy threats, quick action was taken, and openness would not have [...]

[...] They really got beat up over the whole Beacon fiasco [...]

[...] While supposedly Mark Zuckerberg is aware of the growing dissatisfaction .. and you’d think the Beacon fiasco was notice enough … it’s hard to shake the sense that Facebook and its partner [...]

[...] mention Facebook by name, but he didn’t have to). Additionally, don’t expect anything like Facebook Beacon to be a part of the MySpace Developer [...]

[...] sneakin’ with Beacon. Facebook application snoops on your shopping, has folks up in arms. Thousands of men now explaining random jewelry purchases that have been [...]

[...] Facebook had not reacted as quickly as did when uses rebelled against the initial rollout of Beacon, a feature that allows business to connect with their visitors’ [...]

[...] specific demographic needs. Facebook recently launched Facebook Beacon, which had many, including GigaOM and PC World, publicly worried about privacy issues and methods that encourage users to give away [...]

[...] your political, religious, and professional sport affiliations. Facebook’s Beacon is only the scapegoat of what any advertiser is frothing at the mouth to implement. The clerks at your grocery store or [...]

[...] Facebook members defected, upset that those meddlesome privacy experts made them scale back Facebook Beacon [...]

[...] (link) Posted by zivitypr Filed in Privacy, Technology, advertising Tagged: Beacon, Facebook, Privacy [...]

[...] of this privacy loss. The second incident happened when Facebook deployed a feature called “Beacon” which was used to post an update in your personal feed for your buddies to observe that your [...]

[...] announcement given the amount of information they know about their members. This, rather than the ill-fated Beacon program, which was clearly violating members’ privacy, even if Facebook was just trying to push on [...]

[...] has its eyes on you Om Malik has an interesting post regarding Facebook’s new ad-mechanism, which involves over 40 partners at [...]

[...] to remain while moms posting a pic of their child eating is removed. Who doesn’t hear why Beacon was so widely panned. Or why some people might be offended deserve a response on the hate groups [...]

[...] Oare citeste cineva toate reactiile si discutiile din jurul Facebook Beacon? [...]

[...] Beacon was a part of the platform. It was part of this while effort to blur the boundaries between [...]

[...] d’événements, de groupes d’intérêts de toutes sortes, des outils de sondage, et le fameux beacon mais j’en parlerai dans un autre [...]

[...] with the desire of service providers to make a buck has spawned ever more intrusive ad models (Hello, Beacon!) But while hyper-targeted ads and behavioral advertising raise eyebrows, so far they’ve [...]

[...] Beacon - not new news here but lots of controversy (and here - just google it and you’ll find [...]

[...] Beacon debacle was Facebook’s first big misstep (and Om Malik called it in advance, by the way). Company execs have evidently convinced themselves that it was just an implementation [...]

[...] the dawn of the modern newspaper. And he thinks that despite the very public pushback the likes of Facebook’s Beacon are getting. Zukerberg may well be right [...]

[...] varit positiva då den inte inkräktar på integriteten på samma sätt som till exempel Facebook Beacon [...]

[...] what we’ve done. Facebook has been accused of doing this in the past, especially with their Beacon application. Facebook recently rolled out new privacy settings and completely changed their [...]

[...] Monetizing your personal data is Job #1 for these social networking services, and we are only beginning to see how this will be [...]

[...] applications will only work when the user grants access to personal information.Besides being yet another PR headache for Facebook, it’s also another wake-up call for Internet users that what they assume is a safe [...]

[...] dominate social discourse as well. Since that time, it has stayed in the news with both good PR and bad PR. Yet, among most social networking circles the belief that Facebook has “jumped the [...]

[...] the state of the art of Internet services in terms of functionality. On the other hand, with its beacon privacy disaster, lack of payment mechanism, and problems with abuse and spam, it also reflects the worst of [...]

[...] hard to say. You look at an innovative initiative like Facebook’s beacon and the way people were not happy about it but then you read Edelman’s trust barometer and the number one most trusted thing is [...]

[...] what Facebook users want remains to be seen—Facebook has had more than its share of problems pushing unwanted features out to its user base. Posted in Information [...]

[...] Also here are some links to the concerns regarding facebook beacon, their advertisement strategy, and privacy policy. New Facebook Ad Techniques Raise Privacy Concerns Facebook’s Overblown Privacy Problems Is Facebook Beacon a Privacy Nightmare? [...]

[...] and behold, that happened. Facebook’s Beacon program was the young company’s biggest disaster [...]

[...] I still care about you, just please don’t cookie me and beacon me and follow me around like some sort of stalker. Have some self-respect.  I’ll email you [...]

[...] privacy (privacy is his #1 concern unless he thinks he can make money by exploiting it, i.e. Beacon).  However he hit the nail on the head recently when he said that his goal was to allow users to [...]

[...] of San Francisco-based SocialMedia Networks, this move could bring a backlash similar to the Facebook Beacon uproar from last year. The privacy issues that arise are incredibly [...]

[...] is being used, and ways to prevent Facebook itself from distributing their information (remember Beacon anyone?). Facebook is changing all of that by allowing users to try the applications before they [...]

[...] comparison with the Beacon system this is almost benign. Beacon drew scorn & spit and my personal disdain, mostly because it sought to make commercial gains by compromising people’s privacy without [...]

[...] letting other people see what you surf can be creepy. Facebook’s first attempt at this, Beacon, stumbled famously (so much so that at least one smart VC confided in me suspicions that Beacon intentionally [...]

[...] programs, be exceedingly cautious about how your privacy policy and your consumers are impacted. Facebook’s Beacon fiasco demonstrated just how wrong it can go. A few others have earned reproach in similar ways since then. [...]

[...] for a moment all the the privacy issues surrounding Facebook, YouTube and even Google. Ignore also how fragmented your digital identity currently [...]

[...] your websites. The rest was done by Facebook themselves. Although the are some problem regarding piracy over past times, but you can’t denied that Facebook was a cool social networking [...]

[...] Google quickly realized it had overreached, in the same way Facebook did with Beacon. And what I like about Google is that they often correct themselves quickly and completely. They [...]

[...] the Web 2.0 world is that of choice, allowing users to decide what’s best for them. Facebook learned this the hard way when they forced user to opt-out of their Beacon advertising platform instead of giving them the [...]

[...] the many decisions that have proven controversial for Facebook, the dust is only just settling from Beacon – a tool which helped track and share information about user’s shopping habits and [...]

[...] and 45%). It’s quite surprising, particularly after the uproar within certain circles over Facebook’s Beacon advert system, for [...]

[...] to be making secret deals with each other to gain access to user information. The issue around Facebook’s Beacon supports this idea of user information being shared with third parties. Users were automatically [...]

[...] the typical rants against insidious stealth advertising techniques, but privacy concerns are the primary cause for alarm. It may even be illegal. But I doubt [...]

[...] you are doing on those sites to everyone on Facebook. It’s like Facebook Beacon — minus the marketing sleaziness. Partners include the Discovery Channel, the (irrelevant) genealogy network Geni, and (hot) video [...]

[...] what you are doing on those sites to everyone on Facebook. It’s like Facebook Beacon — minus the marketing sleaziness. Partners include the Discovery Channel, the (irrelevant) genealogy network Geni, and (hot) video [...]

i agree. total transparency and total user control is a must.

Your breakdown clearly shows the privacy problem and as a FB user I am most likely going to avoid going to the partner sites altogether rather than sit down and opt out of each.

I am sure there are lots of people who don’t want their purchases or web visits revealed to anyone. The “Share” feature on FB allows me to share what I want already and gives me complete control, I will never hand over that control.

I would much have preferred to see that the ad platform was only focused on the branded pages plus even better demographic targeting than offered by Facebook Flyers Pro.

We will be happy to show you a better way! amhirsch2006@yahoo.com