DISQUS

Community Page on DISQUS

what is this?

Mathew's comments

Jump to original thread »
Author

Facebook bows to the Beacon haters

Started by mathewi · 11 months ago

Nick O’Neill at All Facebook has the news that Facebook has backtracked on its Beacon feature (as I expected they might), and will now present the data for a Facebook user to approve before it is added to their news feed. In other words, you could now prevent the information abou ... Continue reading »

8 comments

  • howardlindzon

    11 months ago

    so you are saying you are not breathessly awiting my updates ?
    reply
  • mathewi

    11 months ago

    Always, Howard. Always.
    reply
  • Brian K

    11 months ago

    The deal is, they are tracking my information without my permission to do so. Of course, all sites do this--and you tacitly agree to it by using a web site--but no other site (to my limited knowledge) tracks across the web.
    Nevermind the information is useless--it's the premise. Why not just track my bank accounts, so i can purchase their stupid gifts faster, or report to everyone when I'm broke. Or track when I'm looking at porn, or my heart rate, or whatever.
    It's true, no one would really care about my doing any of those things, nevertheless, it's an irritating transformation of human society to this obsession on the individual and their inane activities, as well as a corporate invasion of privacy.
    reply
  • mathewi

    11 months ago

    Thanks for the comment, Brian -- but lots of other companies track
    what you're doing, including Microsoft (if you use Internet Explorer).
    They just don't make it obvious that they do, and they don't make it
    obvious how to opt out either -- in other words, they do exactly the
    same thing people are criticizing Facebook for doing.
    reply
  • leigh

    11 months ago

    What's your point M...that Microsoft ISNT evil??? Lol. You're killing me today....
    reply
  • mathewi

    11 months ago

    Well, not any *more* evil :-)
    reply
  • Leigh

    11 months ago

    I guess too many of my friends are social justice lawyers who work with people all the time who get screwed by this type of transient information. Seriously the stories I have heard would blog (ha, Freudian slip) your mind. And it goes on all the time.

    But sure, for most of us tech writers, rich guys in NYC, doctors, digital executives, etc. - chances are we'll probably be just fine. Can't imagine my shopping habits will have anyone thinking very much other than I have great taste. ;-)

    p.s if you keep disagreeing with me I'll make you buy lunch
    reply
  • mathewi

    11 months ago

    Ouch -- that lunch comment was harsh. Point taken :-)
    reply

Add New Comment

Returning? Login