Facebook Says Data Broker Bought User IDs

The popularization of social networking sites such as Facebook has created a valuable tool for companies that are interested in finding out more about their target markets. They can use these sites to mine data that is relevant to consumers. However, this strategy is risky because at some point it may become invasive of the public’s privacy. Thomas Claburn analyzes this problem in his article “Facebook Says Data Broker Bought User ID’s”. This article reports that a data broker has paid Facebook developers for user ID’s. These user ID’s are important because they can be used to track individual users. Claburn points out that the main problem is that “UID numbers can be used to determine a Facebook users name and possibly other information. Fortunately, however, the ID’s were not used to access any personal data. The perpetrator of this misdemeanor was a company known as RapLeaf. As punishment for this offense, RapLeaf must delete the user ID’s that they took and they are no longer allowed to work with Facebook. In addition to this, the developers have been suspended for six months. One of the greatest questions of data mining is finding where public information ends and where privacy begins.

Many Facebook users may be scared away from social networking because of this lack of privacy. The idea that companies can follow your interests by tracking you on the internet is a discomforting idea that could cause a lot of people to turn away from the website. Facebook argues that selling information is not only against their principles, but it is also unnecessary because most users willing give up this data when they use the website’s applications. Facebook engineer, Mike Vernal, defends the website by explaining that “Facebook has never and will never sell user information. We also have zero tolerance for data brokers because they undermine the value that users have come to expect from Facebook.” It is also comforting to know that Facebook plans on creating the optional encryption that hide user ID numbers. Despite these reassurances, however, it is well known that the advertising success of Facebook is based upon the fact that social networking gives marketers an inside look at the interests of their consumers. It is this personal insight that gives advertising on Facebook an advantage to promotion through other social mediums. Users must simply trust that social network sites will be responsible and protect their privacy, but the protection of information is inherently contradictory to the goals of social networking. People use these sites to share their personal interest with their friends and family. There are positives, however, that can come from a business knowing more about you personally. They can use this information to customize their products to the exact wants and needs of individuals. If people begin to feel that they cannot trust these websites with their personal information then there may be a decline in the popularity of social networking tin the near future.

http://www.informationweek.com/news/security/vulnerabilities/showArticle.jhtml?articleID=228000508