CNET: "Facebook just lept way past Google on the creepy meter". It tracks you even when you are

[snagglepuss]

logged out.


snip

Facebook has admitted that it monitors every single web page its members visit – even when they have logged out.
In its latest privacy blunder, the social networking site was forced to confirm that it constantly tracks its 750million users, even when they are using other sites.

Most would assume that Facebook stops monitoring them after they leave, but technology bloggers have discovered this is not the case.

snip

Mr Cubrilovic found that when you sign up to Facebook it automatically puts files known as ‘cookies’ on your computer which monitor your browsing history.

Some cookies remain on your computer after you log out, and report back when you visit a site connected to Facebook. This covers millions of websites and refers to anything with a Facebook ‘like’ or ‘recommend’ button on it.





Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2042573/Facebook-sparks-new-privacy-row-social-network-giant-admits-continues-track-users-log-out.html#ixzz1ZDmGlQt1








Read more: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2042573/Facebook-sparks-new-privacy-row-social-network-giant-admits-continues-track-users-log-out.html#ixzz1ZDlj8uoJ

[silverweb]

1. Clearing cookies should be routine.

I keep a shortcut icon on my desktop and clear cookies, history, temp files, etc, before and after work, and before shutting down for the night.

It only takes a few seconds and it's not rocket science.

[court jester]

26. most people miss flash cookies (or don't know they're being stored along with the others)

"Local Shared Objects (LSO), commonly called flash cookies (due to their similarities with HTTP cookies) are pieces of data that websites which use Adobe Flash may store on a user's computer. Local Shared Objects are used by all versions of Adobe Flash Player and Version 6 and above of Macromedia's now-obsolete Flash Player.<1>

While websites may use Local Shared Objects for purposes such as storing user preferences, there have been privacy concerns regarding Local Shared Objects...."

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flash_cookies

usual location:



or search your hard drive for *.lso files/folders

some people that think they're being careful about their privacy have no idea they've sometimes been tracked for years... And these LSO cookies can be big so who knows what info they're collecting

[cutlassmama]

28. thank you very much for this timely information!

[drm604]

35. Use Firefox with the Better Privacy addon.

It can take care of flash cookies for you.

[hobbit709]

39. i routinely go through my computer files and clean them.

Even a lot of cleaning programs leave things behind. And the way Internet Exploder 8 hides it's temp files is fun too. you can go to the Temporary Internet Files folder, open it and it shows nothing. Right click on the folder and go to Properties. I had a computer that the hard drive was full- the folder showed empty but Properties showed 980Mb and 3400 files in it. The only real way of getting rid of the files was to use a Linux Live disk. It's like the way Win98 cleaned Temp files-it just swept them under the rug and made you think they were gone.

[myrna minx]

44. Thank you for this info.

[silverweb]

65. VERY helpful information!

Thank you! :hi:

[KurtNYC]

37. but if Facebook can grab your cookies when you visit ANY site

with a "Like" icon then you would need to clear cookies constantly. No?

[fishwax]

49. I think you can prevent that by not allowing third party cookies

In Firefox you can do this by going to Tools >> Options >> Privacy and make sure the "Accept third party cookies" box is unchecked.

[bemildred]

54. What happens is your surfing is recorded in the cookie, and dumped out when you return to FB.

Possibly compressed and encrypted in the cookie.
I think ...

[bemildred]

53. +1.

Dump your history daily too, or turn cookies and history off altogether when you are surfing. (PS: and use Firefox.)

[Angry Dragon]

2. class action invasion of privacy law suit

[Hassin Bin Sober]

6. I bet it's covered in the user agreement no one ever reads.

[Poll_Blind]

7. Not likely- I'm sure it's absolutely clear...in the 5-point font written EULA, page 36, section G.

Oh you know their ass is covered on that one. After all- their business is selling you. That's why their business is worth so much and why you don't have to pay anything. You're the commodity.

PB

[KurtNYC]

40. +1 It is the same business model that TV has used for 60 years

"we sell audiences to advertisers"

So few understand that. Many still think they can boycott TV -- which is like chickens thinking they can boycott KFC.

[Poll_Blind]

3. You can actually see how incredibly prevalent this tracking is if you run NoScript for Firefox.

It's sort of like a firewall for your browser: When you go to a web page you have to allow scripts to run. It's incredible the number of pages which have scripting which goes right back to Facebook.com.

PB

[bemildred]

57. I love NoScript.

:thumbsup:

[Hassin Bin Sober]

4. Anyone remember the old movie The President's Analyst? With James Coburn?

They should do a re-make. This time, instead of "the phone company", the villain can be the FaceBook.

[SheilaT]

25. Yes, I remember that movie well and just loved it.

I worked for The Telephone Company at that time, and I thought it was hilarious.

Remember the Lily Tomlin skits of Ernestine the operator? They were at that time, and all of us operators were totally convinced she had been one of us, because she EXACTLY captured a particular kind of operator, right down to the 1940's hair-do and the digging in her bra bit.

[Ex Lurker]

5. Facebook open in a completely separate browser works for me nt.

[The Doctor.]

17. Well, aside from that being a pain in the ass...

Does that really separate the temp cookies from your other browsers?

[Ex Lurker]

27. I'm thinking it does, especially if one's Firefox and the other's Chrome, for instance NT

[richmwill]

8. Already, someone is upset...

[silverweb]

9. LOL!

:thumbsup:

[MADem]

12. OK, now THAT's FUNNY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! nt

[chill_wind]

16. LOL :-)

[Dorian Gray]

34. Love it!

[Initech]

10. Once again, don't use IE or Safari.

They're decent browsers, but in no way shape or form do they offer the security and addons that Firefox and Chrome have. Better Privacy + Track Block = this crap goes away.

[dixiegrrrrl]

32. I use Better Privacy, it works automatically when you close browser

or you can manually erase all tracks quickly.
( has to be installed on each browser you use.)

I was stunned to notice, when web pages load, how often "connecting to Facebook" and/or "connecting to Google" blinks at the bottom of my tool bar.

Link to Mozilla/Firefox Better Privacy:

https://addons.mozilla.org/en-US/firefox/addon/betterprivacy/

[MADem]

11. I just don't "get" the whole FB thing.

Yes, I have an account, to stay in touch with distant family. I have fewer than 30 "friends"--most of them are related to me. I check it once a week or so--quickly.

I don't understand how people can fuck around on it all the live long day. It's just not that wonderful, IMO. The only thing that it has going for it is that you don't have to send an email out to thirty people, and you can track a conversation between folks.

[chill_wind]

15. Sounds like me. I might be one of the last people on the planet

who doesn't have one.

(I do have a couple fuss free posterous blogs to promote some work related stuff and I keep thinking I should make the FB effort, but the more I read stuff like the above, the less I feel like exploring it.)

[MADem]

20. Honestly, it's really just kind of .... LAME. Nothing all that great or dramatic.

I don't see much difference between it and the equally-lame MYSPACE, except that idiots on MYSPACE had a nasty habit, some of them, of employing resource-intensive, butt-ugly "wallpaper" on their stupid little pages--and they'd have some of the worst "auto-music" on the planet; you'd have to hunt frantically for the button to turn that crap off!

This generation, though, lives their lives very publicly. They like to put shit out there. FB, I guess, fills a need for them. I still don't "get" it, though--it just doesn't seem all that fun to me. To each his own, though!

[dixiegrrrrl]

38. I had an account, briefly, at a relative's insistance.

Imagine my surprise when my page went from one bit of info. from the relative to being filled with crap and pics of dozens of people I did not know, never heard of, within the month.
I deleted the account, at least from my end.
Relative was pissed, too bad.

God knows if Facebook is still holding onto the limited info. but the email address is no longer valid in any event, and I use an LSO eraser every day now.
( You Tube is notorious for LSOs also)

[madamesilverspurs]

13. Well, anybody tracking my net activities

is going to die of utter boredom.

Yeesh.

[pipi_k]

45. Mine too...is anyone really going to care

that I'm searching for ways to get rid of fruit flies?

Or looking for waterproof winter boots, information on muscle spasms, adjustable sock looms, and when Meatloaf (the singer) was born?

Hope they have enough caffeine to keep them awake

[Zorra]

14. CIA's "Facebook" Program Dramatically Cut Agency's Costs

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZJ380SHZvYU

[Duppers]

22. Lol

Almost news! :rofl:

[Occulus]

59. The CIA actually is invested in Facebook.

Quite heavily, in fact.

[leveymg]

31. It's like that scene in Men In Black where its revealed that supermarket tabloid news is real and

the stuff you see in the NYT and network news is mostly planted disinformation.

This is hysterical, and too true to reveal anywhere else other than The Onion.

[sarcasmo]

56. Dennis Rodman is an Alien, love that line.

[leveymg]

58. That I believe. Maybe, Willard Scott. But, Al Roker?

Like the lady with the microphone, a very unlikely alien.

[KurtNYC]

42. Twitter, facebook revolutionizing how parents stalk their college-aged kids

http://www.theonion.com/video/facebook-twitter-revolutionizing-how-parents-stalk,14364/

At link (The Onion):
"E-Mom' Gloria Bianco shows Jim and Tracy how geographical distance is no longer a roadblock to shamelessly interfering with the lives of your children."

[The Doctor.]

48. Now this I'm curious about.

I'll have to check it out at some point.

[pinboy3niner]

18. It sees you when you're sleeping / It knows when you're awake

It knows when you've been bad or good
So be good for Facebook's sake

Oh, you better watch out...


:)

[Mimosa]

19. A bud who was briefly in Army Cointel calls Facebook the 'greatest spy machine ever devised'

He won't join FB or twitter.

[Kablooie]

21. Ah, I wondered why nakedraunch.com listed all my friends that had visited recently.

I was quite surprised when Miss Wengler, my 8th grade English teacher, was listed as having visited over 30 times.











(this is a joke of course. Miss Wengler only visited 3 times.)

[Duppers]

24. Lol.

:)

[Duppers]

23. ....

Zuck Fuckenberg, as my FB friend sez.

[MadHound]

29. I've always thought that Facebook was creepy,

Twitter as well. I don't do either, I have no use for either. If I want to remain in contact with somebody, I write, email or phone them. If not, then I don't remain in contact. Plus, I don't need to have people following me around, it's rather creepy.

[a kennedy]

43. Ditto to that MadHound.....

don't do it, don't want to do it. :scared: :scared: :scared:

[The Backlash Cometh]

30. When is Zuckerman going to face a class action lawsuit from his members?

Or better yet, when is someone going to build a better Facebook?

[TBF]

33. Zuckerberg does not charge for FB so how would you sue -

The only folks who pay are his advertisers, and they are getting a wealth of info. Here is my new favorite cartoon:

[Hassin Bin Sober]

61. You don't have to be paying anyone to sue them.

[TBF]

63. I guess that's true, if you have a claim of damages.

I know you can sue bill collectors for harassment (some have even ended up owing folks money when they are aggregious cases). What would be the damages here though?

Not that I disagree with you, I like facebook to keep up with family and friends but the privacy issues concern me. Looks like the government is questioning them on this logging out issue.

[justiceischeap]

36. Just FYI folks, Facebook is not the only site doing this.

Did you do a search on some site for clothes, shoes, kitchen appliances and then you notice you go to other sites and get banner ads that reflect what you recently searched for? Yep, you guessed it. A site has created a cookie that is tracking you. There are plenty of things to get "creeped" out by from Facebook or Google but this isn't really one of them.

Unless you actively protect your privacy when going online, nothing you do on the Internet is private.

[proud2BlibKansan]

41. Don't like it then don't participate on Facebook.

Seems simple enough.

[Brickbat]

46. Facebook is not the only website that does this, of course.

[yodermon]

47. Cookies have been used this way for a decade+.

The real complaint is 1) that Facebook is so big, and 2) so many *other* sites like to leverage Facebook to get traffic, backlinks, etc.

FYI, you can block cookies for certain sites (firefox example) :


(via http://support.mozilla.com/en-US/kb/Blocking%20cookies )

If you do this for "facebook.com" they can never track you.

[Swede]

50. I use Ccleaner to erase my cookies on turn on.

nt

[The Doctor.]

51. It's really not that big of a deal.

It's just like any 'tattle-tale' network in town.

[amborin]

52. KR

[roody]

55. so glad I'm not a member

[eleny]

60. +1

[Major Hogwash]

62. Does this mean they know I'm going to "Guys Who Love Big Dicks Up Their Ass"?

Man, I was hoping no one else would find out.
Keep it to yourself, m'k?

:rofl:

[Brickbat]

64. "WSJ's new privacy policy is everything they taught us to fear"

http://nymag.com/daily/intel/2011/09/the_wall_street_journals_new_p.html