Privacy Groups Push Back Against Latest Facebook Tracking Scheme
International consumer advocacy coalition says web-tracking plan raises "deep alarm"
A transnational group of privacy and consumer advocates is calling on the Federal Trade Commission and the Irish Data Protection Commission to shut down Facebook's new web-tracking program, which it says violates established privacy agreements and in fact punishes users who are "most diligent about their privacy."
In a letter (pdf) sent Tuesday, the London-based Trans Atlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD) -- a network whose members include the US-based Center for Media and Democracy, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Public Citizen, as well as several European rights groups -- expressed "deep alarm" about the "vast expansion" of Facebook's data collection practices, which the company announced in a blog post last month.
TACD describes the new policy:
Facebook already installs cookies and pixel tags on users' computers to track browsing activity on Facebook.com and Facebook apps, however the proposed change would meant that those cookies and pixel tags will also track users' browsing activity on any website that includes a few lines of Facebook code.
According to reporting in AdAge, Facebook said it would not honor do-not-track browser settings (as Twitter and Pinterest do), and would begin using browser histories and Facebook widgets on third-party sites to collect information to further target advertising. Users who don't want to be tracked were advised to opt-out using the third-party service Digital Advertising Alliance, or on mobile devices using iOS or Android controls.
The TACD letter calls this "an imperfect opt-out method" that puts unnecessary onus on the user: "[E]ven consumers who work to exercise their ability to opt out must remain vigilant, even after taking the appropriate privacy precautions."
What's more, the whole scheme bears uncanny similarities to a controversial program Facebook attempted to roll out in 2007, TACD said.
Facebook's proposed use of pixel tags to track users offline is almost identical to its 2007 Beacon program. Beacon similarly used 1x1 pixel GIF tags to track and transmit users' browsing history--on non-Facebook websites--to Facebook's own servers. Facebook users objected so strongly to Beacon that over 50,000 users signed a petition against the program within its first 10 days. Other users filed a class-action lawsuit against Facebook for privacy violations. Facebook abandoned the program during the course of the lawsuit and publicly apologized, admitting that the program had been a mistake.
Facebook has now completely reversed its stance to the detriment of users of the service. Contrary to its prior representations, upon which users may have relied, the company will now routinely monitor the web browsing activities of its users and exploit that information for advertising purposes.
We are at a crossroads
This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. In a few short weeks, US voters will have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. Our Fall Campaign is underway, and we need your help. To power our newsroom through the rest of the year, we need to raise $125,000 by midnight on October 31. So if you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
A transnational group of privacy and consumer advocates is calling on the Federal Trade Commission and the Irish Data Protection Commission to shut down Facebook's new web-tracking program, which it says violates established privacy agreements and in fact punishes users who are "most diligent about their privacy."
In a letter (pdf) sent Tuesday, the London-based Trans Atlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD) -- a network whose members include the US-based Center for Media and Democracy, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Public Citizen, as well as several European rights groups -- expressed "deep alarm" about the "vast expansion" of Facebook's data collection practices, which the company announced in a blog post last month.
TACD describes the new policy:
Facebook already installs cookies and pixel tags on users' computers to track browsing activity on Facebook.com and Facebook apps, however the proposed change would meant that those cookies and pixel tags will also track users' browsing activity on any website that includes a few lines of Facebook code.
According to reporting in AdAge, Facebook said it would not honor do-not-track browser settings (as Twitter and Pinterest do), and would begin using browser histories and Facebook widgets on third-party sites to collect information to further target advertising. Users who don't want to be tracked were advised to opt-out using the third-party service Digital Advertising Alliance, or on mobile devices using iOS or Android controls.
The TACD letter calls this "an imperfect opt-out method" that puts unnecessary onus on the user: "[E]ven consumers who work to exercise their ability to opt out must remain vigilant, even after taking the appropriate privacy precautions."
What's more, the whole scheme bears uncanny similarities to a controversial program Facebook attempted to roll out in 2007, TACD said.
Facebook's proposed use of pixel tags to track users offline is almost identical to its 2007 Beacon program. Beacon similarly used 1x1 pixel GIF tags to track and transmit users' browsing history--on non-Facebook websites--to Facebook's own servers. Facebook users objected so strongly to Beacon that over 50,000 users signed a petition against the program within its first 10 days. Other users filed a class-action lawsuit against Facebook for privacy violations. Facebook abandoned the program during the course of the lawsuit and publicly apologized, admitting that the program had been a mistake.
Facebook has now completely reversed its stance to the detriment of users of the service. Contrary to its prior representations, upon which users may have relied, the company will now routinely monitor the web browsing activities of its users and exploit that information for advertising purposes.
A transnational group of privacy and consumer advocates is calling on the Federal Trade Commission and the Irish Data Protection Commission to shut down Facebook's new web-tracking program, which it says violates established privacy agreements and in fact punishes users who are "most diligent about their privacy."
In a letter (pdf) sent Tuesday, the London-based Trans Atlantic Consumer Dialogue (TACD) -- a network whose members include the US-based Center for Media and Democracy, Electronic Frontier Foundation, and Public Citizen, as well as several European rights groups -- expressed "deep alarm" about the "vast expansion" of Facebook's data collection practices, which the company announced in a blog post last month.
TACD describes the new policy:
Facebook already installs cookies and pixel tags on users' computers to track browsing activity on Facebook.com and Facebook apps, however the proposed change would meant that those cookies and pixel tags will also track users' browsing activity on any website that includes a few lines of Facebook code.
According to reporting in AdAge, Facebook said it would not honor do-not-track browser settings (as Twitter and Pinterest do), and would begin using browser histories and Facebook widgets on third-party sites to collect information to further target advertising. Users who don't want to be tracked were advised to opt-out using the third-party service Digital Advertising Alliance, or on mobile devices using iOS or Android controls.
The TACD letter calls this "an imperfect opt-out method" that puts unnecessary onus on the user: "[E]ven consumers who work to exercise their ability to opt out must remain vigilant, even after taking the appropriate privacy precautions."
What's more, the whole scheme bears uncanny similarities to a controversial program Facebook attempted to roll out in 2007, TACD said.
Facebook's proposed use of pixel tags to track users offline is almost identical to its 2007 Beacon program. Beacon similarly used 1x1 pixel GIF tags to track and transmit users' browsing history--on non-Facebook websites--to Facebook's own servers. Facebook users objected so strongly to Beacon that over 50,000 users signed a petition against the program within its first 10 days. Other users filed a class-action lawsuit against Facebook for privacy violations. Facebook abandoned the program during the course of the lawsuit and publicly apologized, admitting that the program had been a mistake.
Facebook has now completely reversed its stance to the detriment of users of the service. Contrary to its prior representations, upon which users may have relied, the company will now routinely monitor the web browsing activities of its users and exploit that information for advertising purposes.