The WSJ‘s investigation finds that apps like FarmVille have been transmitting identifying information to “dozens of advertising and Internet tracking companies” that could grant advertisers and online tracking firms access to players’ names – and the names of their Facebook friends. That includes Facebook users who have their profiles set to the most strict privacy settings.
According to the Journal‘s findings, Facebook users’ unique ID numbers were transmitted to outside companies by many of the top apps, including FarmVille. That number provides anyone with the name of a Facebook user.
App makers Rapleaf and LOLapps were named alongside Zynga in the WSJ’s report. A Zynga spokesperson is quoted, saying that the company “has a strict policy of not passing personally identifiable information to any third parties”. It says it will be working with Facebook to improve privacy.
Facebook in Privacy Breach [WSJ]
Republished from Kotaku
Wynn
Wednesday, October 20, 2010 at 9:16 AMNoooooo Shyt?????
You think Zynga makes a profit by producing ‘free’ games out of the goodness of its heart?
Only a fool would think that simply because there hasn’t been evidence for it before, that Zynga hadn’t been selling of private information for dollars.
It’s actually an interesting dilema.
If I’m going to be targeted for some reason, or spammed with advertings (such as the one for Subway I get hit with on this page) while trawling the internet for tidbits of information that entertain or inform, I’d prefer it to be something that ‘might’ actually interest me.
It’s the ad revenue that facilitate content providers putting the stuff ‘out there’ that I might be interested in.
Some ‘habit’ and location gathering about me might actually make my experience better by providing ads, which are going to be there anyway, that might actually suit my social, regional, preferences.
Google does it all the time, gathering information about how, when and what I search for.
It’s rediculous to think information wont be gathered, the best we can do is create protocols and encourage those that gather it to make best use of it.
That pressure needs to come from the people buying the data, Subway is wasting its money advertising to me…. there needs to be a system where space X is filled with an ad relevent to me (from information gathered about me voluntarily) no matter what site I visit, then micro payments could made to the content provider for providing the space and the hits.
I’m much more likely to be swayed by an advert targeted directly to me and my interests, rather than just the social demogrphic that visits a particular site.