Facebook Files For a Patent To Track Its Users On Other Sites 133
suraj.sun sends word that a recent Facebook patent application details specific methods for tracking its users while they're using other websites. Michael Arrington pointed out over the weekend that this follows explicit statements from Facebook employees that the social networking giant has "no interest in tracking people." Quoting the Patent Application:
"In one embodiment, a method is described for tracking information about the activities of users of a social networking system while on another domain. The method includes maintaining a profile for each of one or more users of the social networking system, each profile identifying a connection to one or more other users of the social networking system and including information about the user. The method additionally includes receiving one or more communications from a third-party website having a different domain than the social network system, each message communicating an action taken by a user of the social networking system on the third-party website. The method additionally includes logging the actions taken on the third-party website in the social networking system, each logged action including information about the action."
Re:Let me get this right.. (Score:5, Insightful)
It's called "lying". Anymore, what companies SAY they're going to do and what they ACTUALLY do rarely have anything in common.
Re:Cookie exchanger (Score:2, Insightful)
Fuck Facebook.
Re:I gave up... (Score:4, Insightful)
I'm with you. I stopped caring. Deleted my account today. Also my Google+ account. For me the whole social networking thing was taking too much time with almost nothing in return.
Next week I'll meet a friend IRL for dinner and beers. I called him to make the meeting.