Facebook, an online social networking site, has been growing in popularity among people very rapidly, but recently has had legal trouble concerning some of their information technology, mainly the marketing program Beacon. Due to privacy complaints and a lawsuit against Facebook by 19 complainants, Facebook is being forced to stop using Beacon which in addition to giving advertisers information about Facebook users, allowed other users of Facebook to learn whether or not one of their Facebook friends had purchased items on sites such as Overstock.com and Fandango.com. This invasion of privacy has been removed, and CEO of Facebook Mark Zuckerberg has publicly apologized for this. Since Beacon will no longer be used, Facebook is looking for alternate information systems to intertwine with their Site. Their new marketing system will be called the Nielsen BrandLift which will include on site polls that will give user responses to Facebook concerning how users feel about the ads that appear on their Facebook pages. In addition they have included a new program called Facebook Connect which puts the user in more control over what they wish to share with others while on the site.
This controversy has made it very clear that while information systems concerning ads and the sharing of information are growing, privacy is still a huge concern for the modern day user. Personally, I am very pleased that in the case settlement Facebook will need to develop a new marketing strategy, because Beacon was far too invasive. While their intention was to help other friends keep up to date on one user's interests, in no way should people be privy to what an individual buys on another site. If such a program was allowed to continue who is to say people’s credit card numbers being displayed on Facebook would be impossible? This case and the dangers that Beacon posed, serve as a great example of the negatives information systems pose.
Another interesting aspect that has come from this case is the new addition of Facebook Connect, which I think has great potentially as an information tool. By giving the user more freedom as well as control over what information they wish to share, Facebook is creating more confidence in users that Facebook is not only concerned with sharing users’ information with advertising firms. Facebook Connect is a way of using information technology to give back to the consumer, which I think will be met with positive response. Happier users lead to a more profitable site, and more future users. Facebook connect is also a great tool for spreading information, because people are more likely to click on a link posted from a friend than they are to click a link posted from an ad agency. It is an innovative way to actually capitalize off of users while making them feel more confident in using the site.
Hopefully other sites similar to Facebook will use this latest controversy to understand that while information systems are crucial in this digital age, they need to be less intrusive to online consumers. If people start to feel violated when using online information sharing sites, they will start to lose trust and veer away from such online sites, which will negatively affect not only sites like Facebook, but online stores too. And with e-commerce booming, less confidence in the marketplace will surely result in loss of profits for companies participating in e-commerce.
Article Source:
Ortutay, Barbara. “Facebook to shut down Beacon tracking tool as part of lawsuit settlement.” The Baltimore Sun Online. 21 September 2009. http://www.baltimoresun.com/technology/sns-ap-us-tec-facebook-privacy,0,1918285.story
I found this article to be a huge wake up call to many Facebook users. Having one myself, this invasion of privacy truly makes me question the information about me already on the internet. While we assumed posting pictures of ourselves and updating our profiles with information about ourselves is safe, for all we know, we can be displayed in some foreign add campaign without our consent or knowledge. It is a little reassuring that the Beacon program has been deactivated, however who knows what other information systems are still tracking us currently. Agreeing with Dana, the Facebook Connect seems like it would be a more hands on approach for Facebook users to minimizing the privacy concerns. On site polls will give users more input, making the site a safer environment.
ReplyDeleteThis was an interesting and eye-opening article for me because I had no idea that Facebook was even doing these types of things on my own Facebook page. Although I don't think companies would go as far as giving out credit card information, it does make those of who have Facebook accounts or any other type of internet accounts think about what information about us is out there on the web. The introduction of Nielsen BrandLift seems to bring a little more security by using polls for the users to pick what is shown about them, but still the information is out there, companies can still get a hold of the information they so choose and use it however they want. Basically the danger is still out there even if Facebook is using a different marketing information system the new one can still be used to do the same things that Beacon was used for.
ReplyDeleteAlong the same lines of Charlie, Alex, and Dana I too find it very reassuring that the Beacon program was deactivated. This article reminded me of another students article that was on flash cookies where websites would not allow you to delete these special types of cookies which could potentially withhold personal information such as credit card information. In the same sense with our Facebook information being displayed all over it is truly "eye-opening" just as Charlie said. With a vast majority of the United States using Facebook its kind of crazy how much information is out there for people to gain access too, even though there are privacy settings I honestly think there are loopholes out there for people to gain access to individuals information.
ReplyDeleteThis article is similar to several others and I think it is shocking the things you can find out on the internet. Facebook can release information that you never knew was even kept track of. So many kids are using facebook and some are young kids. Parents need to watch this because they could be releasing serious information on to the internet. However other systems can potentially do the same thing as Beacon, so I may never be safe.
ReplyDeleteI think that whatever policies Facebook has or companies they work with is completely okay-as long as they let the users know. Facebook has done nothing wrong as long as they let the customers/users know what is going on. Considering that facebook was once a new site and needed funding, working with a company such as Beacon probably did not sound like a bad idea. Now that so many people have facebook accounts, and I'm sure Facebook has more ways to gain income, using another company would be in its best interest.
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