Facebook is watching you all over the web...

ComradesTrue · #1 05-13-2010, 01:14 PM

In the interest of not continuing to hijack another thread, it seemed about time to have another "we hate facebook's latest attempt at updating" thread.

This one involves the new social plug-ins, which means that many other websites that have partnered with facebook have access to your profile pic, name, friends, etc. I first noticed this recently while on the CNN website. Later, while on another website that I had never even been on before, I noticed my own FB pic as well as that of several of my friends. You can imagine how creeped out I was!

What it looks like:

Quote:

Originally Posted by UofM-TKE

Quote:

Originally Posted by Blondie93

Of course FB set the default privacy setting to "allow" for everyone unless we turn it off. Therefore, if you don't like it I encourage everyone to go into their privacy settings-> applications and websites-> instant personalization pilot program. Unclick.

You may still need to "sign out" from the facebook portion of sites that you have visited since FB launched the program. I updated my privacy settings about a week ago, and other than "signing out" in those facebook boxes for about 24 hours I haven't had a problem since.

Again, realize that even if you aren't seeing yourself on certain sites your friends can see if you have read/liked an article on that site.

Annoying beyond belief.

Quote:

Originally Posted by ree-Xi

These "social plugins" were activated a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, there is nothing that can be done to stop them from "logging you in". There is no opting out. Changing the button for "instant personalization" will not effect this new feature.

FB says that it does nothing with the info is receives, but it pisses me off too:

Facebook Help:
http://www.facebook.com/help/?page=1068

How do I opt-out of viewing social plugins?

No data is shared about you when you see a social plugin on an external website. You can choose to use social plugins when you click the "Like" or "Recommend" button on a piece of content you want to share. These actions are publicly available information, similar to public comments or reviews you might write on a website. Only click the "Like" or "Recommend" buttons if you want to share your likes and recommendations publicly./help/?faq=17097

Quote:

Originally Posted by AzTheta

/hijack

try www.eff.org - "How to opt out of Facebook's Instant Personalization"

would like to know what someone more technologically savvy thinks about what this article recommends.

it might be worth posting elsewhere if it's at all valid or useful.

end hijack/

Ree:
I honestly have not had any problem with the partnered websites identifying me once I "opted out." I have been back to several of the original sites where I saw my picture and pictures of my friends, and now it just looks neutral like UofM's screen shot above.

So, everyone- Facebook overstepping boundaries, or just another means of "connecting people?" Are you creeped out or curious as to what your friend thinks of that PeopleDotCom article?

AZTheta · #2 05-13-2010, 01:16 PM

Thanks, Blondie93, for starting this thread. I followed all the instructions on the eff.org site and have had no problems with privacy. Read the entire article; you have to go back and check periodically to see what else needs to be updated for privacy.

Facebook is getting creepy, IMO.

annabella · #3 05-13-2010, 01:22 PM

I made a step-by-step Facebook privacy guide for one of my clients, but I feel you guys on here are a little more advanced than to need all the visual cues.

The main thing you need to worry about: Facebook is going to keep doing stuff like this.
1. Never put anything out there that you wouldn't want released (duh).
2. Stay ahead of the changes they make. They announce stuff like this before they do it, usually on blog.facebook.com or in your updates. Facebook sends you updates before they do this stuff, but you don't receive notification of them. So unless you know to check your updates, it's kind of pointless.

To check for the updates from Facebook (and any fanpage you've "liked,"):
In the left column of your homepage, click "Messages." Under Messages, you have the option of clicking "Sent" or "Updates."

Click "Updates." Any official Facebook changes or proposed updates to the privacy policy will be sent from "Facebook Site Governance."

33girl · #4 05-13-2010, 01:29 PM

They are completely overstepping as far as privacy goes. Not only that, it's pissing me off that interests etc that I put in my profile are getting mistaken for things they are not. Example - under my favorite TV shows I had "Law and Order (all of them)." The plugins/community pages changed it to "Official Law and Order Page." That's NOT what I said or meant.

Another thing that pisses me off is the verbiage about how if enough people are on a page the administration will be taken over by the Facebook community.

I think I'm talking about something different though. This instant personalization pilot thingy has been around for a while.

MysticCat · #5 05-13-2010, 01:41 PM

I'm seriously considering deleting my FB account. I don't check it very often anyway. I just want to keep up with friends I rarely see; I really don't want to see umpteen hundred messages about Farmville or who wants to give me something or what cause someone wants me to support.

I'm with others -- FB just keeps getting creepier and less useful.

groovypq · #6 05-13-2010, 01:42 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticCat

I'm with others -- FB just keeps getting creepier and less useful.

Agreed.

Has anyone else noticed that you can't make your favorite quotes private? A friend pointed that out the other day.

So basically, I have to take time every so often and search FB to see if people I don't want to see *anything* about me have joined, and block them, because you can't hide everything. Fan-tastic.

33girl · #7 05-13-2010, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticCat

I'm seriously considering deleting my FB account. I don't check it very often anyway. I just want to keep up with friends I rarely see; I really don't want to see umpteen hundred messages about Farmville or who wants to give me something or what cause someone wants me to support.

I'm with others -- FB just keeps getting creepier and less useful.

You can hide the Farmville stuff - when it comes up just click "hide" on the right and it will ask whether you want to hide Farmville or the person. You can also block applications like causes.

MysticCat · #8 05-13-2010, 02:04 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 33girl

You can hide the Farmville stuff - when it comes up just click "hide" on the right and it will ask whether you want to hide Farmville or the person. You can also block applications like causes.

Done that, but they keep coming back after awhile. It's just like the privacy stuff -- they don't want you to block those things so they keep changing it so that your blocks stop working and you have to do it all over again.

Like I said, all I want FB for is to keep up with some old friends, and I become more and more disenchanted with it as a helpful way of doing that.

33girl · #9 05-13-2010, 02:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by MysticCat

Done that, but they keep coming back after awhile. It's just like the privacy stuff -- they don't want you to block those things so they keep changing it so that your blocks stop working and you have to do it all over again.

Like I said, all I want FB for is to keep up with some old friends, and I become more and more disenchanted with it as a helpful way of doing that.

Really? I blocked it once and haven't seen it since. It may be a Farmville imitator. But you should only have to block an app once.

Little32 · #10 05-13-2010, 02:15 PM

At one point, it was an easy way to keep up with folks that I did not see or speak to very often, but I am really weighing out whether I want to continue to use it or not. The use value is beginning to be far outweighed by the creep factor.

AXiDMeesh · #11 05-13-2010, 02:27 PM

The applications definitely keep coming back. I don't know how many times I've blocked those dumb games but I continuously get invites from them and friends requests from people I don't know asking if I want to play. I have double and triple checked in my settings to be sure they are blocked and they always are. Right now I'm sitting at 236 app requests because it's just too tedious to go in and delete them anymore. Also when I deleted my account and then came back it, it took about a week for all of my old settings to be completely re-installed, and I had to go back and do my privacy settings myself when some chick I had blocked started talking about a status I had. So for a whole week my profile was completely open. And if it weren't for recruitment I would have been deleted my profile by now.

ThetaDancer · #12 05-13-2010, 02:28 PM

Is there any way to hide the "fan pages" or whatever they're called? I'm not a fan of things that are ridiculously inappropriate, but I am a fan of some things I don't want everyone on facebook to see (for example, politicians). I have everything else set as "friends only" but you can still see that I like Russ Feingold, for example, and that's not something I necessarily want to advertise to anyone who may come across my facebook page because politics can be so divisive.

It's not the end of the world but if anyone can tell me how to make those pages private, I would appreciate it!

Senusret I · #13 05-13-2010, 02:49 PM

I still like it a lot.

It's definitely a voluntary community.

33girl · #14 05-13-2010, 02:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThetaDancer

Is there any way to hide the "fan pages" or whatever they're called? I'm not a fan of things that are ridiculously inappropriate, but I am a fan of some things I don't want everyone on facebook to see (for example, politicians). I have everything else set as "friends only" but you can still see that I like Russ Feingold, for example, and that's not something I necessarily want to advertise to anyone who may come across my facebook page because politics can be so divisive.

It's not the end of the world but if anyone can tell me how to make those pages private, I would appreciate it!

No, you can't. That's what I was talking about in my post. You have to delete them.

As for the people who keep getting apps back - contact Facebook and let them know. You shouldn't be having that problem. There are lots of lookalikes (farmtown, farmville etc) so you have to block the new ones as they appear. I've never had an issue with this whatsoever.

ThetaDancer · #15 05-13-2010, 02:59 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 33girl

No, you can't. That's what I was talking about in my post. You have to delete them.

Thanks! I'm glad I asked before I spent anymore time trying to figure it out on my own.