Close
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
Read Down
Sign in
Close
Welcome!Log into your account
Forgot your password?
Read Down
Password recovery
Recover your password
Close
Search
Logo
Logo
  • Latest News
  • Big Data and Analytics
  • Cloud
  • Networking
  • Cybersecurity
  • Applications
  • IT Management
  • Storage
  • Sponsored
  • Mobile
  • Small Business
  • Development
  • Database
  • Servers
  • Android
  • Apple
  • Innovation
  • Blogs
  • PC Hardware
  • Reviews
  • Search Engines
  • Virtualization
More
    Home Applications
    • Applications
    • Networking
    • PC Hardware

    Was Facebook’s Privacy Move a Blunder or Just Premature?

    By
    Evan Schuman
    -
    December 4, 2007
    Share
    Facebook
    Twitter
    Linkedin

      Now that Facebook is having to face its about-face (readers, please forgive me), the privacy-versus-marketing debate is just revving up.

      This RetailWire story nicely sums up the action, but the essence is that Facebook tried sharing-without permission-customers’ purchases with people on their friends list.

      Did Facebook cross the line? I’d rather say that they made this move inappropriately. The difference is that I do agree with Facebook that something very similar to this program could work, but it needs to be presented properly and at least start with more-than-ample opt-out options.

      Facebook is right that this is a huge marketing and advertising opportunity and that their customers could benefit from this. But they didn’t properly sell those benefits to users.

      Targeted ads based on private history are dicey stuff. Sharing private purchases with everyone on a friends list is an order of magnitude touchier.

      It needs restrictions (for gift giving or other sensitive situations), but a modified version of this might work well, say, one year from now. The prospect of having a surprise birthday gift ruined is one thing. What about the married customer whose spouse is alerted that the customer is purchasing lots of red roses or diamond earrings, which the spouse never sees? Lots of dangerous situations potentially there.

      Gift card trading site company Leverage, for example, is trying to push the envelope with advertisers allowed to pitch customers based on their gift card holdings along with self-reported “demographic, psychographic, gift occasions and travel plans.”

      If we’re ready for psychographically-selected ads (as opposed to what we typically see with GoogleAds, which would be more accurately labeled psychotically-selected ads), it’s hard to argue that Facebook overreached. But a little more selling of the benefits and permission-getting might have made a world of difference.

      Retail Center Editor Evan Schuman has tracked high-tech issues since 1987, has been opinionated long before that and doesn’t plan to stop any time soon. He can be reached at [email protected].

      To read earlier retail technology opinion columns from Evan Schuman, please click here.

      Check out eWEEK.com’s Retail Center for the latest news, views and analysis on technology’s impact on retail.

      Now that Facebook is having to face its about-face (readers, please forgive me), the privacy-versus-marketing debate is just revving up.

      This RetailWire story nicely sums up the action, but the essence is that Facebook tried sharing-without permission-customers’ purchases with people on their friends list.

      Did Facebook cross the line? I’d rather say that they made this move inappropriately. The difference is that I do agree with Facebook that something very similar to this program could work, but it needs to be presented properly and at least start with more-than-ample opt-out options.

      Facebook is right that this is a huge marketing and advertising opportunity and that their customers could benefit from this. But they didn’t properly sell those benefits to users.

      Targeted ads based on private history are dicey stuff. Sharing private purchases with everyone on a friends list is an order of magnitude touchier.

      It needs restrictions (for gift giving or other sensitive situations), but a modified version of this might work well, say, one year from now. The prospect of having a surprise birthday gift ruined is one thing. What about the married customer whose spouse is alerted that the customer is purchasing lots of red roses or diamond earrings, which the spouse never sees? Lots of dangerous situations potentially there.

      Gift card trading site company Leverage, for example, is trying to push the envelope with advertisers allowed to pitch customers based on their gift card holdings along with self-reported “demographic, psychographic, gift occasions and travel plans.”

      If we’re ready for psychographically-selected ads (as opposed to what we typically see with GoogleAds, which would be more accurately labeled psychotically-selected ads), it’s hard to argue that Facebook overreached. But a little more selling of the benefits and permission-getting might have made a world of difference.

      Retail Center Editor Evan Schuman has tracked high-tech issues since 1987, has been opinionated long before that and doesn’t plan to stop any time soon. He can be reached at [email protected].

      To read earlier retail technology opinion columns from Evan Schuman, please click here.

      Check out eWEEK.com’s Retail Center for the latest news, views and analysis on technology’s impact on retail.

      Evan Schuman
      Evan Schuman is the editor of CIOInsight.com's Retail industry center. He has covered retail technology issues since 1988 for Ziff-Davis, CMP Media, IDG, Penton, Lebhar-Friedman, VNU, BusinessWeek, Business 2.0 and United Press International, among others. He can be reached by e-mail at [email protected]

      MOST POPULAR ARTICLES

      Cybersecurity

      Visa’s Michael Jabbara on Cybersecurity and Digital...

      James Maguire - May 17, 2022 0
      I spoke with Michael Jabbara, VP and Global Head of Fraud Services at Visa, about the cybersecurity technology used to ensure the safe transfer...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      Alteryx’s Suresh Vittal on the Democratization of...

      James Maguire - May 31, 2022 0
      I spoke with Suresh Vittal, Chief Product Officer at Alteryx, about the industry mega-shift toward making data analytics tools accessible to a company’s complete...
      Read more
      Big Data and Analytics

      GoodData CEO Roman Stanek on Business Intelligence...

      James Maguire - May 4, 2022 0
      I spoke with Roman Stanek, CEO of GoodData, about business intelligence, data as a service, and the frustration that many executives have with data...
      Read more
      Applications

      Cisco’s Thimaya Subaiya on Customer Experience in...

      James Maguire - May 10, 2022 0
      I spoke with Thimaya Subaiya, SVP and GM of Global Customer Experience at Cisco, about the factors that create good customer experience – and...
      Read more
      Cloud

      Yotascale CEO Asim Razzaq on Controlling Multicloud...

      James Maguire - May 5, 2022 0
      Asim Razzaq, CEO of Yotascale, provides guidance on understanding—and containing—the complex cost structure of multicloud computing. Among the topics we covered:  As you survey the...
      Read more
      Logo

      eWeek has the latest technology news and analysis, buying guides, and product reviews for IT professionals and technology buyers. The site’s focus is on innovative solutions and covering in-depth technical content. eWeek stays on the cutting edge of technology news and IT trends through interviews and expert analysis. Gain insight from top innovators and thought leaders in the fields of IT, business, enterprise software, startups, and more.

      Facebook
      Linkedin
      RSS
      Twitter
      Youtube

      Advertisers

      Advertise with TechnologyAdvice on eWeek and our other IT-focused platforms.

      Advertise with Us

      Menu

      • About eWeek
      • Subscribe to our Newsletter
      • Latest News

      Our Brands

      • Privacy Policy
      • Terms
      • About
      • Contact
      • Advertise
      • Sitemap
      • California – Do Not Sell My Information

      Property of TechnologyAdvice.
      © 2021 TechnologyAdvice. All Rights Reserved

      Advertiser Disclosure: Some of the products that appear on this site are from companies from which TechnologyAdvice receives compensation. This compensation may impact how and where products appear on this site including, for example, the order in which they appear. TechnologyAdvice does not include all companies or all types of products available in the marketplace.

      ×