Facebook Using YOUR Updates and Info in Facebook Social Ads Advertising   - 1,002 Views,

Summary: It's one of Facebook's dirty little secrets, even though it's been publicly available information for more than a year. Facebook takes information that you post, and sells it to advertisers who can use it in ads that are displayed to your friends. For example, if I posted "Eating Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream", Ben & Jerry's could then show an ad to all of my Facebook friends saying "Anne is eating Ben & Jerry's Cherry Garcia ice cream - shouldn't you too?" The service is part of Facebook's "Facebook beacons" service for advertisers, and the ads in which your Facebook info is displayed are called "Facebook Social Ads". And if you don't explicitly opt out of them, then you are fair game.

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It’s one of Facebook’s dirty little secrets, even though it’s been publicly available information for more than a year.   Facebook takes information that you post, and sells it to advertisers who can use it in ads that are displayed to your friends.   For example, if I posted “Eating Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream”, Ben & Jerry’s could then show an ad to all of my Facebook friends saying “Anne is eating Ben & Jerry’s Cherry Garcia ice cream - shouldn’t you too?”  The service is part of Facebook’s “Facebook beacons” service for advertisers, and the ads in which your Facebook info is displayed are called “Facebook Social Ads”.  And if you don’t explicitly opt out of them, then you are fair game.

In fact, Facebook beacons were the subject of a recently-decided lawsuit, in which a Facebook user sued Blockbuster for using her video rental information in Facebook social ads.

Default setting:

To opt out, change default “only my friends” to “no one”:

You can opt out of Facebook social ads here.

Facebook Using YOUR Updates and Info in Facebook Social Ads Advertising

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Previous Article « Microsoft Blocks Google as “Not Family Safe”
Read Next Article » Apple Media Pad Tablet Rumoured on the Horizon - and on Verizon

Read more:

»  Example of Real Facebook Ad Mentioning a Friend Who is a “Fan” of the Advertiser

»  Facebook: We Have 300 Engineers and We’re Making Money

»  Facebook Phone Now Available - the World’s First Social Networking Phone

»  Facebook Announces Facebook Chat

For additional similar stories check out our archives on Facebook, Privacy

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 This article first appeared on 4/27/2009
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