Facebook Ads Raise Privacy Concerns

Last week it was announced that social networking site Facebook would be including some new advertisements in users' News Feeds. Many users grumbled and complained, but given the complete lack of any cost to use the thing, it was hard to get too upset. However, privacy advocates are being a little less forgiving, saying that the ads may be unethical and, possibly, unlawful.

The advertisements in question, called "Social Ads", would show up in the News Feed section of a users' profile, a rolling list that typically shows silly updates about this or that happening to the person owning the profile. The ads would take updates from a user and mix in slogans and jingles from paid advertisers. So, for example, if a friend of yours posted that he went to a race at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in California, the update might include some text inserted by Mazda, a link to Mazda's site, or maybe even video from one of their annoying "Zoom Zoom" commercials.

This sort of feed hijacking might break laws in several states that forbid a given company from using a person's "name, portrait, picture or voice" in advertising without his written approval. Right now there's no such permission given with Facebook, and since a user's name and picture will typically appear next to these ads, it's easy to see why some think these ads would be illegal.

So, could Facebook's new advertising system be tripped up just as it exits the gate, or will users be forced to click an agreement allowing their name and any pictures they post to the site to be used for advertising? That, we think, would be an unfortunate move on Facebook's part.

From Privacy.org and PC World

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Tags: advertising, facebook