Are Facebook's Privacy Issues Getting Worse?

by SodaHead News Posted 2011/09/26 05:38:46

Related Topics: Facebook, Privacy, Tracking Cookies, Big Brother, Cookie, Tracking, Invasion, Infographic, Fate, Constitution, Google, CD, Author, Joke, Cookies, Online

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	Yes	140 votes	90%
	No	16 votes	10%

In George Orwell’s classic, “1984,” we were shown a future where the government controls everything and watches every move you make. In Aldous Huxley’s “A Brave New World,” readers were shown a similar world; however, in this world we accept our fate willingly because we wouldn’t know about it.

It seems as if both authors were prophetic because their classics are very similar to Facebook’s new tracking cookie code, which allows the social networking powerhouse website to know where you are online, even when you’re not logged into Facebook. It’s yet another string in the privacy issues many users have had with Facebook.

According to Gizmodo.com, hacker Nik Cubrilovic, through a bunch of tests, discovered that Facebook alters its tracking cookies the instant you log out, instead of deleting them. When a user goes to a website that has a Facebook button or widget, your browser will continue to send “personally identifiable information” back to Facebook.

In a blog post, Curilovic said, “With my browser logged out of Facebook, whenever I visit any page with a Facebook 'like' button, or share button, or any other widget, the information, including my account ID, is still being sent to Facebook.”

There are two ways to block Facebook from “Big Brothering” you. First, you can delete all Facebook-related cookies once you’ve logged out. Second, you can use a program called AdBlock Plus to block Facebook as well.

Is Facebook’s latest tracking cookie the latest egregious act from the social networking site, or is it just another way for Facebook to better integrate itself into your life?

Add a comment above

Ben 2011/09/27 17:50:50

Yes

+4
The Machine won't be forced upon us. We will welcome it with open arms.
>> See Replies

More polls by SodaHead News

Rudy 2011/09/28 15:01:59

Yes

facebook is just another fad that does nothing to improve the populations life.

reply
Rex 2011/09/28 14:11:56

Yes

Gee, glad that I'm not alone here. I'm kind of old, so thought I may be off base. I have always thought FB was kind of creepy. I finally de-activated my account - hopefully that is enough. I'm not too paranoid (teehee)

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Regena to Rex 2012/01/17 04:47:25

+1
You should have a family member or friend to check and see if your deactivated by search!

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john 2011/09/28 11:10:53

Yes

I hate going on facebook it seems that your privacy don't exist.

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story101 2011/09/28 06:21:26

Yes

The final question asks "or" but the answer is "and". No one should be able to stash something on my machine that sends info about me without me knowing it. Its called hacking.

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Mishka 2011/09/28 02:38:04

Yes

I am sure that Kim Jong Il is now reevaluating his ban on internet access for his people, facebook has just made his job 10x easier

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ReconMarine~AVA/POTL/JLA/PWCM 2011/09/28 02:20:25

Yes

Absolutely.....All those Popups now and then, If you do NOT click them off from the Botton tool bar and click delete, they open doors to other info gathering places. DO NOT Click on the Red X as noprmal in the upper right corner of the Popup.....That is the Doorway.
I found this out the hard way when my PC was Hacked and I called DEL to fix. They charged me $250 to Fix and said they saw my Personal info being pirated while they cleand my PC. They said Face Book keeps their Fix operations in Business.

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Rachel ~In HP I Trust~ 2011/09/28 02:14:34

Yes

I guess? I'm not really worried about the government taking over my life with my facebook..I don't put my entire life on there like most people. I just like posting a status every once and a while and looking through statuses and pictures.

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freebirdie 2011/09/28 00:53:26

Yes

"More serious concerns are likely to arise as people use the new so-called real-time sharing features of Facebook.***** Not only can it track every site you visit,***** it will also -- if you so choose -- post live online the music you're listening to on Spotify or Rdio, the news you're reading on Yahoo, and a slew of additional personal information. Of course, this is the same mistake Facebook made back in 2007 with Beacon, a program that incurred a class action lawsuit and was terminated in 2009."

Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/scitec...

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guitarplayer2571 2011/09/27 23:21:20

Yes

everything about facebook is going downhill in a hurry! it takes 10 minutes just to get logged into your homepage half the time! stop making it ugly and start making it work is my opinion!

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Bilingual required sucks 2011/09/27 23:19:10 (edited)

Yes

+1
It seems to be the perfect tool for Big Brother to spy on citizens. Im beginning to wonder if I can delete my name and profile from the entire thing? Something tells me that if I tried to do that, I would end up in some government file somewhere labeled "Subversive".

I just checked "How to permanently delete your profile" on Facebook. You have to submit a request to do that. I beginning to be sorry I ever joined that thing.

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TedStevens 2011/09/27 21:11:19

Yes

+1
If it gets much worse I will have to move to the Google+. I only use it for old friends and such.

If I have to constanly delete my browsing history to rid these cookies, it isn't worth the effort of keeping a FB profile.

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TasselLady 2011/09/27 20:47:48

Yes

+1
I may end up having to bail out if it gets worse.

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Marilyn Gray 2011/09/27 20:40:26

Yes

There are so many ways to lose your personal privacy and freedoms now. Why would anyone want to know or tell anyone else every time you say a word on FB. It's being scrolled like the huge sign in TImes Square. Only now this thing in FB is worse.

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Panloker 2011/09/27 20:32:17

Yes

FFS!! I said right from the very get go that Fakebook was the devil, and each and every day there is some new kind of controversy regarding it. It just keeps on proving me right and just today I was watching movies on Netflix and I see they added a new category, it is called "Liked on Fakebook" WTF?? Just cannot escape it...its everywhere now..and even on Netflix WTH?? seriously. Needless to say I never even looked at those movies, even if it was one I wanted to see I wouldn't of watched it simply because they ad Fakebook in the category. Fakebook is taking over the world, but people are too much of sheep to realize or care. Now it spies on us, well now I guess it is getting blocked off my computer and for good this time.

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studiobrat BN-0 AFCL 2011/09/27 18:49:16 (edited)

Yes

This is precisely why I closed my Facebook account! I also found it quite annoying that when people befriended you, their friends could also ask to be friends. The whole concept of Facebook was just too much for me!

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story101 to studiob... 2011/09/28 06:26:52

Yesterday Facebook gave me a list of people I might know. It included a woman I was introduced to on eHarmony a few years ago, communicated with but never met. We live in different states have no friends in common nor social organizations, Now WTF!!??

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Yuki ~ ♦Lion King of PHÆT♦ 2011/09/27 18:18:09

Yes

+1
I might close my FB account soon. I trust Google a lot more.

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Bilingu... to Yuki ~ ... 2011/09/27 23:33:07

Trust but verify.

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TheTailor 2011/09/27 18:12:48

Yes

+1
Facebook is gathering information for it's advertisers, that's a known.

reply
Ben 2011/09/27 17:50:50

Yes

+4
The Machine won't be forced upon us. We will welcome it with open arms.

reply
S123 to Ben 2011/09/28 03:56:59

Is that a quote from something?

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Ben to S123 2011/09/28 15:06:33

No, it's just something I've always thought. I'm a huge fan of futuristic sci-fi. The creators of many of those stories have been showing us just how easily the machine can take over. Why would they force that computer chip into our brains when we will put it in there willingly? Technology makes our lives easier. We're finally here in the information age. If we want an answer to anything, we can spend 10 seconds and have that answer. 20 years from now, we might simply think it and have the answer. The double edged part of the deal is that we're so easily controlled that way. I won't get all religious, but the Bible talks about it in Revelation. I get a kick out of it. Some movies I'm reffering to are The Matrix, 13th Floor, Equalibrium, and Aeon Flux.

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S123 to Ben 2011/09/28 19:53:15

Okay, well it's good! It sounds like a quote from a dystopian novel/movie! I think your explanation is interesting.

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Ben to S123 2011/09/28 19:54:46

THAT was the word I was looking for: dystopia. I forgot one. Minority report.

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S123 to Ben 2011/09/29 17:20:30

I like dystopian novels, are there any that you recommend? I've read Nineteen Eighty Four and Animal Farm with my mom.

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Ben to S123 2011/09/29 17:24:27

The Giver. It's at a junior high reading level, but it is pretty good. Or Revelation in the New Testement. Revelation is so far out there, but it does mention about a worldwide controlled society.

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S123 to Ben 2011/09/29 17:31:47

I think I might have read The Giver with my mom too, I'm reading a book now called The Replacement by Brenna Yovanoff, it isn't a dystopia but there are parts of it that deal with society.

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Kigan 2011/09/27 17:46:23

Yes

+2
Zuckerberg has made it a goal to take away privacy. Look at how many times he has changed the privacy settings of users without telling anyone, leaving it to the users themselves to uncover it and spread the word.

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Panloker to Kigan 2011/09/27 20:34:55
Cubatista92 2011/09/27 17:15:41

Yes

+3
i used to be able to hide the fact that i commented on this and that. with the whole changer-over i don't know how to do it anymore. i understand it's a social network, but i am a rather private person. i use it most for messaging and because all my friends are on it. but i',m quite private and would rather not shout out of the rooftops "I COMMENTED ON THIS PICTURE"

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drreverol 2011/09/27 16:36:24

Yes

+2
There are way more hackers than before. And I know about that from experience. Not my facebook, but my aunt's.

reply
the_old_coach 2011/09/27 16:30:23

Yes

+2

reply
shar 2011/09/27 16:17:18

No

+1
if your concerned about privacy dont put stuff up you dont want a stranger to know

reply
Fef 2011/09/27 16:10:13

Yes

+2
The founder's sister and former marketing director, Randi Zuckerberg, wants to eliminate anonymity on the web.

reply
kasey17 2011/09/27 15:11:58

Yes

+1
I personally have not had my profile hacked but however I have had a few of my friends that have been, and they were none too pleased with the fact the Facebook is allowing for the users to easily hack the system, make it better Mark!

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story101 to kasey17 2011/09/28 06:29:20

Yes, someone created a profile with the identical name as my father's and the same profile pic. It took quite a few days from the time we caught it and complained before they took it down.

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kasey17 to story101 2011/10/03 15:19:25

+1
Exactly, they are slacking.

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Orangedragan 2011/09/27 14:51:13

Yes

+2
But there is a very simple solution. DON' POST SENSITIVE INFO ON FACEBOOK!!! It's just common knowledge, for crying out loud.

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story101 to Oranged... 2011/09/28 06:30:49

This goes beyond that. The claim, which I believe, is that Facebook hacks your computer and leaves a little trojan that reports on what you are doing on your computer without you knowing it.

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