Moveon.org is sending out an announcement about Facebook’s most recent invasion of privacy. Here’s their announcement:
When you buy a book, movie, or gift online, do you want that information automatically shared with everyone you know?
Last week, the social networking site Facebook began doing just that. Private purchases made by Facebook users on other sites were posted on Facebook for people’s co-workers, friends, and random acquaintances to see.1 Why? To benefit corporate advertisers.
Other sites are looking at Facebook’s example to see if they can get away with similar privacy breaches. We need to draw a line in the sand—making clear that the wish lists of corporate advertisers must not come before the basic privacy rights of Internet users.
They draw on some testimonials from people’s posts on the wall of their facebook group:
“I made a purchase yesterday for my wife for Christmas…When my wife logged onto Facebook, there was an entry in her news feed that I had bought a ring from Overstock. It had a link to the ring and everything. Christmas ruined.”—Sean L. from Massachusetts
“I saw my girlfriend bought an item i had been saying i wanted…so now part of my christmas gift has been ruined. Facebook is ruining christmas!”—Matthew H. from New York
“Facebook, are you kidding me? This is way out of bounds for a program I never opted into.”—Matthew F. from Georgia
If you want to check out the facebook group, click here. If you want to sign Moveon.org’s petition, click here
(Thanks to Vicki TB for forwarding this on to me.)
