Archive for November, 2007

Some thought-provoking commentary for all us Facebookers out there. Particularly at this time of year, when we are all turning to the internet to help with the task of Christmas shopping.

Here is some poor guy’s story, painfully making it clear why Facebook’s Beacon is a bad idea in its current form:

I purchased a diamond engagement ring set from overstock in preparation for a New Year’s surprise for my girlfriend. Please note that this was something meant to be very special, and also very private at this point (for obvious reasons). Within hours, I received a shocking call from one of my best friends of surprise and “congratulations” for getting engaged.(!!!)

Imagine my horror when I learned that overstock had published the details of my purchase (including a link to the item and its price) on my public facebook newsfeed, as well as notifications to all of my friends. ALL OF MY FRIENDS, including my girlfriend, and all of her friends, etc…

ALL OF THIS WAS WITHOUT MY CONSENT OR KNOWLEDGE.

I am totally distressed that my surprise was ruined, and what was meant to be something special and a lifetime memory for my girlfriend and I was destroyed by a totally underhanded and infuriating privacy invasion. I want to wring the neck of the folks at overstock and facebook who thought that this was a good idea. It sets a terrible precedent on the net, and I feel that it ruined a part of my life.

Groundswell (Incorporating Charlene Li’s Blog): Close encounter with Facebook Beacon

Be careful out there folk, and think about what these things involve.

Via ChiefTech

Tags: facebook, beacon, privacy, overstock