It's hard to ignore the power of having others distribute your promotions and publicity for you at no cost. Even harder when you see big brands like McDonalds and Coke jumping on the bandwagon.
But the site has gone a click too far, experiencing what your therapist might call boundary issues. Privacy on FaceBook may be an oxymoron.
In an article entitled "Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg Doesn't Believe In Privacy," Wired magazine writer Eliot Van Buskirk says that he "wouldn't recommend posting anything there that you wouldn't want marketers, legal authorities, governments (or your mother) to see, especially as Facebook continues to push more and more of users' information public and even into the hands of other companies..."
When Wired, normally a fan of all things technological, has problems with a social powerhouse, it's time for the rest of us to pay attention -- particularly advertisers and agencies that are increasingly including FaceBook in their marketing plans.
Instant Personalization, a Synonym for Privacy Violation
Through a process they smilingly "Instant Personalization," Facebook is capturing the data we post on other sites, and then making it public on its own site. Thus, your "like" rankings elsewhere may appear without your approval on FB.
Did you give Lady Gaga a thumbs-up at Pandora? Show your love for a crossbow at a hunting site? Give a shout out to a stripper one wild and crazy night?
Well, don't be surprised if it shows up at FB. And then don't be shocked to find your favorite things showing up elsewhere.
According to the geek site Tech Crunch, Facebook has given Yelp, Pandora and Microsoft access to your data via Instant Personalization. It's not that you can't opt out; but you may need a minor degree in programming and some facility with Facebook's privacy settings to avoid having your profile data shared.
A few weeks ago, senators Al Franken, Charles Schumer, Michael Bennet, and Mark Begich wrote an open letter to Facebook, threatening to bring in the Federal Trade Commission if the company didn't take concrete steps to make user information more private.
Two days ago, The Huffington Post reported that Facebook held an all-hands-on-deck meeting, apparently to deal with the potential backlash against Instant Personalization.
Marketers and advertisers should keep an eye on what may turn into an ugly reversal of fortune for the now mighty Facebook.
