John Constine reports:
Today Facebook will start sending the first of three billion notices to users about proposed changes to its privacy policy, which were made to comply with a Spring deadline for implementing recommendations from an audit by the Irish Data Protection Commissioner. The three biggest changes Facebook’s Chief Privacy Officer for Policy Erin Egan told me about when we spoke this morning are several clarifications of existing but sometimes vague policies:
- A clarification regarding Facebook’s existing policy that it may use your data to serve you ads outside of Facebook.com while you’re on other websites
Read more on TechCrunch, while I mull over Facebook’s “clarification” that it can follow you around on other web sites to serve you ads based on your data.
Kash Hill has more on this on Forbes.
It seems to me that with users logging into sites using their Facebook user name, it was only a matter of time before they started using this data. Or at least before they started admitting that they use this data.
The problem is twofold.
1. Users don’t realize the extent of the information they are providing to Facebook.
2. Facebook’s reach is becoming excessive. They are a closed system just like Google is and amass an unbelievable amount of individual data.
We write about online privacy and spend a lot of time discussing Facebook. For our latest article on Facebook, please read http://www.privateproxysoftware.com/Blog/internet-privacy/facebooks-enhanced-download-your-information