According to the Wall Street Journal, "Facebook will soon begin using data it collects about users’ activities around the Web to better target ads on its service.....[f]or years Facebook has dropped small pieces of code on websites and in
mobile apps, through which it records users’ browsing habits and online
interests. Now it’s going to start using that information to help it
deliver personalized ads on Facebook."
The term "personalized ads" means behavioral advertising. In layman's term, Facebook acts like a private NSA; however, instead of using the digital information it collects about you to protect against terrorist attacks, Facebook uses the data you post and gleaned from your digital activity (posts, messages, and now websites visited, etc...) to make money. The information Facebook collects about you may also assist foreign hostile governments who legally or illegally acquire access to Facebook's systems.
About a year ago, Advertising Age reported that Facebook inked agreements with multiple data brokers to mine the personal digital information of users. These agreements convinced me that posting personal information on Facebook may contribute to consumer discrimination. The World Privacy Forum and The White House published recent reports that discussed how some populations may be vulnerable to discriminatory practices based upon large amounts of personal information being bought and sold by data brokers and data sources such as Facebook.
I don't advise anyone who values their privacy to post personal information to Facebook because it has an abysmal record when it comes to protecting user privacy. For example, in 2012 Facebook settled charges with the FTC that it deceived consumers by telling them they could keep their
information on Facebook private, and then repeatedly allowing it to be
shared and made public.
The bottom line is that if you value your privacy be careful what and where you post online.
Copyright 2014 by Shear Law, LLC. All rights reserved.
