New controversies loom for Facebook: some applications, including the well-known game Farmville, reportedly violate the privacy of registered users by transmitting personal data to third-party companies. At least according to very recent statements published in the Wall Street Journal.
There’s no doubt that privacy on Facebook is a pipe dream; not even profiles with the most restrictive settings escape the insidious spread of personal data if, in addition to staying in touch with friends, you also access certain applications. The freshest example comes from the Wall Street Journal, which warns of a practice that, if verified and proven, could become a major headache for Facebook.
It appears that profiles registered for applications such as Farmville have been of particular interest to companies external to Facebook, specifically those involved in advertising and market research. From the WSJ’s columns comes the warning: Facebook has handed over personal data and even information about friends of those who play – particularly Farmville, Frontierville, and Texas HoldEm Poker.
If all of this were confirmed, it would cast aside any declarations previously made by Mark Zuckerberg himself, who, just a few weeks ago, had assured users about the issue of privacy.
Facebook‘s response to the Wall Street Journal’s article has arrived: sharing the user ID poses no danger to users’ privacy, as private information is not violated. However, some are turning up their noses, pointing out that knowing a Facebook ID is equivalent to knowing the username the user registered with, and therefore also the names of their friends.
While awaiting confirmation on the extent to which this large volume of personal data has reached and enriched the databases of external companies (we’re talking about 25 market research and advertising firms), Facebook has blocked some applications.
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