So you’re on Facebook and you’re already careful about what information you post, but is that enough anymore?  Facebook recently announced that it would be providing user’s information to third party websites.  This would be done with cookies from Facebook.  If users are highly informed and proactive they can remove third-parties’ access to their profiles, but if they don’t, their information will automatically be shared.  Although Facebook is a free site, that doesn’t mean it comes without costs.  Many users don’t think twice about the rights they give up when they click “I agree” under Privacy Policy. 

So what info exactly will these sites have access to?  “You and your friends’ names, profile pictures, gender, connections, and any content shared using the ‘Everyone’ privacy setting,” says the new Facebook privacy policy.  While it’s helpful that users can opt out of this new setting, it is worrisome that pictures and other personal information will be shared without explicit consent.  We’ve said it before but it bears repeating, consumer privacy controls in the form of future-thinking technology policies  have to develop alongside new advancements of social media technology.

Link: http://techcrunch.com/2010/03/26/facebooks-plan-to-automatically-share-your-data-with-sites-you-never-signed-up-for/