Facebook Talk

While people may be getting pissed about Beacon’s sneaky data gathering, such practices aren’t really that new, as CNN points out in a new article.

Based on the weather reports and restaurant listings you check out online, Yahoo Inc. has a good idea where you live. Based on searches you’ve done, the Web portal might also know where you want to go.

Don’t be surprised then to suddenly see an advertisement on flight deals between those two places. It’s what United Airlines did with an ad on Yahoo earlier this year as people browsed for something completely unrelated to travel.

Good points. Yes, Yahoo and United have been doing this as well, so why complain when Facebook does it? In fact, most people love Google and yet they openly admit that the ads you see are based on the search queries you punched in or the text in your e-mail. The fine line that I think must be pointed out here, though, is that having a website pick which ads to show me based on my habits versus having a website that collects my habits and then sells them to others are two huge differences.

I don’t mind seeing relevant ads. In fact, I rather enjoy them (and I use the word “enjoy” loosely.) If I’m in the market to buy a car, I listen to all the car advertisements on TV and the radio. If I’m hungry, then that Arby’s Chicken Sandwich looks freaking delicious. If there were a way to make TV relevant to your mood or desires, I don’t think so many people would own Tivos. But since you aren’t interacting directly with your TV, yet you are with your computer, suddenly websites can give you ads a bit more directed towards you.

But, and this is a huge but, if I don’t want that website collecting information about me, it shouldn’t. End of story. No ifs, ands, or buts.

One of the even bigger problems I see arising out of this is that, for most people, they’ll have no idea they’re information is being collected. If an annoying ad comes on TV, they can mute it. If they search for a business in Myrtle Beach and see ads for hotels in the region, they know the ads are relevant yet they can ignore them. But if the average, everyday computer user is asked if they want to share their information with a website and declines, then they are going to assume that their wishes were respected. The more tech-savy computer users can find ways to detect what’s going on and how to block them, which is why I’m not all that worried about Beacon. But then I think about my mom, brothers, and sister who are all on Facebook and I start to get a little peeved.

This shouldn’t be that hard, Facebook. If a consumer says “don’t remember that I bought these movie tickets just now,” then you shouldn’t. Anything beyond that is just asking for a giant bitch-slap from your community.

Cnn, Facebook, Yahoo, United