Facebook pulls back on Beacon
Cory Bergman November 30th, 2007
It’s a new service that alerts your Facebook friends (via the news feed) when you buy something on sites like Travelocity, Fandango and Overstock, but after 50,000 Facebook members signed a petition dissing the new service over privacy concerns, Facebook now asks if users want to participate. “Beacon crosses the line to being Big Brother,” said Charlene Li, an analyst at Forrester Research, “It’s a very, very thin line.”
3 Comments Add your own
1. Anonymous | November 30th, 2007 at 6:07 am
Just another note that none of your top menu items work. I’d “drop you a line,” but that link doesn’t work, either.
2. Rocker | November 30th, 2007 at 7:18 am
re; Beacon…why don’t they just do it in the form of “one of your friends recently bought”, instead of specifying exactly who. I think that would be a lot less objectionable. If they proceed as advertised, and change to opt-in instead of opt-out, the program is over (because no one will knowingly opt-in to that). More likely, the change will be more legalistic…but most people “particpating” will still be doing so unaware. That is an ultimately fruitless…and possibly very damaging…path for Facebook to pursue.
3. mmmm.... | November 30th, 2007 at 8:31 am
bacon….
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