![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-386420-100x100.png\")
Facebook came and took ma piccys!
Atleast they give the option to tell them no, though.
Facebook came and took ma piccys!
Atleast they give the option to tell them no, though.
![\"user-pic\"](\"/css/images/default.gif\")
Hey consumerist,
I sent you a number about 2 months ago for a Judy (wong?) at facebook advertising. This would be something to call her about ;)
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-944482-100x100.png\")
Wow. That is creepy that an option like that is well hidden in their settings. Make sure you disable any ad blockers, e.g. Ad Blocker Plus, as it thinks it is an ad.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-1037-100x100.png\")
@theblackdog: Interesting if I wore a tin foil hat to work today I'd suspect somebody did that on purpose.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-131723-100x100.png\")
@Hooray4Zoidberg: Actually I thought it was the Greasemonkey \"Hide Highlights\" script that was screwing with the page at first :-P
It turned out I had already shut off that privacy invasion but it was good to check and make sure ;-)
I have to disagree that this is \"well hidden.\" I joined Facebook in February and spent a short time going through each settings screen. This was in there just as visible as every other option, and I turned it off with hardly a thought. People need to wise up to the reality that nothing's free and go through the options on every site they join.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-291191-100x100.png\")
The adds are only shown to your friends on Facebook. They aren't used anywhere else.
However, a friend of mine did get an add for \"singles\" in his area and they used his girlfriend's profile pic. Kinda funny, actually.
@Nogard13: I got a picture of a married friend. In her WEDDING DRESS. Sticking her tongue out at the camera. It cracked me up.
What happens if you don't see those options listed?
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-789724-100x100.png\")
@ugadawg: Easy, stop using buggy bloatware browsers that entice you in with false advertising (I'm looking at you Mozilla, and you 'safe, secure' firefox browser, which was the most exploited browser by far last year.
Seriously, try a different one. I recommend Opera, you don't need all these 3rd party scripts, which cause as many problems as what they're trying to block, such as in this case.
One of my friends had this in her Facebook status today. Facebook bores me and I hate having to keep abreast of all their stupid privacy loopholes. The only reason I still have an account is because I know that one day I'll value that network, but I really wish that Facebook didn't damn near have a monopoly over online social networking.
@Rectilinear Propagation: I have a LinkedIn account. I can't tell you when I last logged in to it. Does anyone actually USE LinkedIn?
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-270824-100x100.png\")
@aguacarbonica: That's a good point! How did people \"social network\" before facebook? I guess people could leave their house, and actually talk to a live person...Ugh.
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-537475-100x100.png\")
@ThinkerTDM: Kind of? I mean, before facebook came around, I talked a lot of my friends on IM so it still wasn't face to face since they were all at other colleges. We rarely talked on the phone, as we were all tethered to our computers anyway, doing homework and stuff. And on IM we didn't have to disturb other people with our conversations, and we could actually send each other photos and links and such. And group chat was FTW. Now that we're all out of college and busier than ever, and have real responsibilities, we use facebook messaging more because we're all busy at different times.
@pecan 3.14159265: I mean, before facebook came to my campus, not that I was in college before facebook existed. I'm not that old :-P
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-201750-100x100.png\")
@aguacarbonica: I know people who spend WAY too much time updating their Facebook status.
But on the other hand, I've tracked down old friends that I thought were pretty much lost forever, so it does have it's cool moments.
@aguacarbonica:
A monopoly??? Are you kidding me, this is like accusing Google of being a monopoly. Myspace had its chance and failed. How is Facebook forcing you to be on facebook? You can always go to myspace. If you dont like it, dont use it. Simple. I dislike facebook too, mainly because of what it does to my friend making them facebook junkies. But I dont complain about having the ability to share photos and chat with my friend.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-52435-100x100.png\")
@aguacarbonica: There's always My-godlookatalltheshitonthispagelolitsgoingtocrashmybrowserggcsshackers-Space.
@Applekid: I was shooting for:
My-\"God look at all the shit on this page lol it's going to crash my browser gg css hackers\"-Space, but the aborted string with dots actually produces a more accurate representation of MySpace.
FYI, that setting only appears for those using IE and not Firefox.
@ajlei: Since the word \"ad\" shows up in certain parts of the page construction, ABP thinks the section with the box is an ad. Just disable ABP and reload.
@reuvenb: Ummm....I corrected it myself before posting this thank you. No one came up with a reply. I tried modifying the setting last night but no dice. Tried this morning on my work PC. No dice again. Then I figured it must be an IE v Firefox thing. Loaded FB in IE and ta-da. Check the time stamps before making an assumption.
@ugadawg:
Be sure to disable any script/ad blocking add-ons before attempting to adjust this setting. Just like all of Facebook, that page is Firefox friendly.
Facebook = Failbook
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-1211801-100x100.png\")
Facebook advertising really is a tar pit of spammy irrelevance. My girlfriend has been getting \"Meet Singles Now!\" ads for days on end with pictures of her guyfriends on there. Even the ones that are listed as \"In a Relationship\". Urg.
You know, I recently found out through Photobuckets stat page that someone is using an image of me on facebook, myspace, and craigslist. Talk about creepy.
@JohnnyUtah_GitEmSteveDave: What can you do about it? have you tried anything? I'm more worried about my art images, since there are many asian companies stealing art and making prints to sell under another name. In that case, only a lawsuit works.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-436259-100x100.png\")
Whoa! Deja Vu! @HumungaCowabunga_GitEmSteveDave: But that makes you famous! Enough with your shenanigans.
@HumungaCowabunga_GitEmSteveDave: Meow I was not talking about the shenanigans picture. I was talking in general :)
Side Note: I got both Airplane! and Super Troopers from netflix today. Will be a lulzy weekend.
@MostlyHarmless: Sweet. I have Airplane! on DVD, but got Super Troopers on \"netflix\". It's also where I got Transformers 2 from. ;)
Actually, this should be said: Those ads are not served by facebook. Those ads are served by a third-party company (E.G: rockyouads, ect).
In all applications, even if your friends havent added that app, the developers of the application can still see the friends of that user.
So all they have to do is pull that array of friends, and then use FBML (FaceBook Markup Language) in the iframe to display the picture using fb:photo. E.G would display the photo of the user with the id of 12345.
So it's not facebook themselves, its the application platform being exploited by ad-serving companies.
You know, this happened to me about a month ago. Facebook showed me a photo of one of the \"HOT SINGLES\" I could meet if I clicked on an ad for a dating service... The \"hot single\" was a COUSIN of mine from my friends list.. YIKES!
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-313764-100x100.png\")
This is one of those times that being (ex) Amish comes in handy. Photos were invented to steal your soul, and I don't do photos, online or off. Nevertheless, I lack nothing, except perhaps I get fewer replies to my Craigslist dating posts - lol.
This is why my facebook profile has exactly one photo on it and it will stay that way.
Yet another reason to only put bogus info on facecrook.
I bet 99% of the people on it don't even have a clue how much of their personal info is given away every time they install an app. I give it another 2 years before we really start seeing the abuse that an app developer can do with the data they receive for making someone a mafia member or a picture of a diamond.
@Monk EyBeat:
ID, Full Name, gender, and age.
However, you can also give more information to some apps when they request extended permissions
Am I the only person in the world who doesn't have a problem with this? Facebook is free so obviously it is going to have ads. It's clever, and just good sense, to use the data they have on you to tailor ads to you. Google and Amazon do the same thing with their personalized ads and suggestions.
It 's extremely obvious that the ad company is attempting to manipulate you into clicking their ads- and they're doing a really poor job because it doesn't even make sense to put a picture of your wife in an ad for hot singles. Drop the pretense of shock and horror- we all recognize these ads for what they are, lame attempts at marketing, and we all ignore them. They're harmless, and probably a waste of money.
I don't feel entitled to any sort of \"rights\" when I knowingly upload my information and pictures to a free, public, website... If you don't like it don't use it. Honestly I'm surprised that they even give you the option to disable it, and personally I won't bother.
@MichelangeloBabarong: How can this be both \"clever\" and \"lame\"?
If it was clever, there wouldn't be an issue. It's stupid, and I'd rather not have some half-assed marketing attempt using my likeness without my permission. Commercial use of space is going to force itself on us in every medium unless we say we don't like it, and there's nothing wrong with saying you don't like it. No need to just roll over for it. Push back.
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-333123-100x100.png\")
I just got one of these with my sister's FB profile pic yesterday.
Thing is, I couldn't read it because it was in Turkish.
Neither my sister nor I speak Turkish. We do not have Turkish heritage. We've never even been to Turkey. (Although I get Turkish spam all the time.)
(Hmmm... \"Turkish spam\" sounds like a food dish.)
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-177102-100x100.png\")
@pwillow1: Turkish spam: a potted meat product with turkey-like qualities, but is not actually turkey.
Why'd you cut the bulk of the post? I can see it all in my GReader... there's useful information in what you cut.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-872073-100x100.png\")
you should change your facebook status and watch how the adds change
@highpitch_83
AND this hit Consumerist..... i think a month ago.. they are just re-reporting it....
or maybe it was another Gawker site.. either way.. they were ahead of the loop
They don't just use photos of your friends. I had one ad with a picture of my ex, who hasn't been a Facebook friend in over a year. The caption: \" thinks your an idiot?\"
Sleeze -- I thought I notified Consumerist a couple of months ago about this, but it might have been Jezebel
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-1163402-100x100.png\")
In Canada there is some concern about the default facebook settings. Our privacy laws are not bad (at times) and I kind of agree that there are issues with the default settings. [www.cbc.ca]
Sorry if anyone has posted this already...
I have my privacy preferences set so that they don't use my photos....but a few of my friends obviously don't...I keep seeing the ads \"27 and overweight?\" or \"Cellulite at 27?\" \"Ugly muffin top?\" (gee, thanks facebook...those are pretty flattering assumptions! How nice of you!) then pics of friends who are apparently (in facebooks or their advertisers standards, at least?) overweight, have cellulite or muffin tops...personally I didn't think ANY of those friends were overweight and I would be pretty offended myself!
Do these advertisers go through people's pics and find people they think fit the description or are they random selections? Cuz some of them looked pretty deliberate....and that's just wrong IMO.
Note for Firefox users with AdBlock Plus installed: There were no settings displayed on the \"Facebook Ads\" page until I turned AdBlock off. So, disable AdBlock, follow the instructions, and then turn AdBlock back on.
More detail: Go to the \"Tools\" menu and look for \"AdBlock Plus Preferences\" (you should also get there by clicking Ctrl-Shift-E).
In the window that opens, go to the \"Options\" menu and click on \"Enable AdBlock Plus\". The check mark next to it should disappear.
Then go to the Facebook Ads page. To turn AdBlock Plus back on, just put the check mark back next to \"Enable AdBlock Plus\".
Hope this helps.
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-1074796-100x100.png\")
To disable:
-Click on SETTINGS up at the top where you see the
Logout link.
-Select PRIVACY.
-Select NEWS FEEDS AND WALL.
-Next select the tab that reads FACEBOOK ADS (at top).
-There is a drop down box; select NO ONE.
-SAVE.
You know, I was wondering why my friend Dan had taken such a keen interest to my financial well-being.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-1021770-100x100.png\")
I find it sort of amusing to see my ex girlfriend popping up in ads for \"Sexy Singles in [my] area\". I almost have her convinced that it's a sign that we need to get back together. :D
In the marketing world this is just Genius... If people are willing to share their information they aren't doing anything but speaking for you I guess...
Unfortunatly or Fortunatly they are just getting started with their differnt ways of advertising to thier users.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-488475-100x100.png\")
I don't even look at the ads. I don't use any apps, either. Maybe I should start looking to see if there is anyone I know in the ads, LOL!
The biggest issue is that these apps are on more than one website. I have screenshots that my fiance and I saved of ads with my picture on a website that I've never been a member of. If they can do that, who knows what else they do with your information that you don't know about.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-8966-100x100.png\")
Wired Magazine has a short article this month talking to the guy who started the \"Living Social App.\" In the piece he was all, \"of course the Facebook user knows they're giving us marketing information that we send to advertisers; how else do they think they get something for free?\"
I'd wager a guess that 80% of Facebook users don't know that everything they do on the site with apps is being used by marketers.
What, no Taking it Seriously tag?
-
The only problem with that method of opting out is that it only prevents your likeness from being used. You'll still be seeing your friends and spouse(s?) faces on Facebook's ads.
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-192310-100x100.png\")
\"It's an important issue, and one we take seriously.\"
There'$ only one important i$$ue Facebook take$ $eriou$ly.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-408954-100x100.png\")
Facebook is a big scam. All it's about is to gather information from big-headed-full-of-themselves jerks, so Facebook can do EXACTLY what's being reported here . . . SELL YOUR INFORMATION so YOU can be hounded to death by telemarketers.
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-65544-100x100.png\")
If FaceBook is \"working on it\" shouldn't it be easy for them to reset the default to \"No One\" so then people have to deliberately choose the option of their friends pics being used?
Also, how is it legal for me to grant a third party the legal right to use the photo of a second party? Wouldn't my friends have had to grant permission to these advertisers themselves?
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-152502-100x100.png\")
I had this happen as well. Despite my profile stating I am married and my cousin's profile saying he is married, I got a \"singles in my area\" ad with him on it. To add insult to injury, he is in Alaska and I am not. So I wonder what else they steal from your profile?
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-799409-100x100.png\")
I got a \"Are you a hotter sorority girl than her?\" With a picture of my pious, 55-year-old friend, Shirley.
I use Firefox with Adblock and see no ads whatsoever.
\"David Swain, of the Product and Platform Communications department. at Facebook said, 'It's an important issue, and one we take seriously.'\"
That's funny! If Zuckerberg and Co. actually gave a shit about anyone, then... well... for one thing, they would have reversed the shitty new layout that everyone openly complained about.
I haven't looked at my privacy settings since at least March or April, and I remember this setting specifically and telling them \"no\" on it because I realized they were using it for those obnoxious ads that tell me my friends want to challenge my IQ and have their userpics.
Those things have been on Facebook for ages, and that setting has likely been there since then. And people are ticked off about it NOW? Does anybody LOOK at their facebook settings anymore?
my parents divorced thanks to this - my dad thought my mom was cheating on him and he hit her for lying. he went to jail, she lost all assets, and i'm now in a foster home.
thanks facebook for ruining my life. *pulls out gun*
@VardonCabaim: That's rad. You should take Facebook to court. I'd like to see someone knock Zuckerburg off his high-horse. Maybe beat him up outside the courthouse... you know... for dramatic emphasis.
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-917643-100x100.png\")
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-6536-100x100.png\")
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-570288-100x100.png\")
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-500755-100x100.png\")
![\"user-pic\"](\"/mt-static/support/assets_c/userpics/userpic-296530-100x100.png\")
![\"user-pic\"](\"http://consumerist.com/assets_c/userpics/userpic-297061-100x100.png\")
This can be disabled in your privacy settings.
@Wolzard: You mean like it says in the third para of this article?
@Wolzard: You can, sure, but the it's not like they don't use those pictures in the ads. It just means you can't see them.
@Wolzard: Yeah, it can, but then you get ads that show image errors (RED X FTL)