Facebook Will Reveal Who Uploaded Your Contact Info For Ad Targeting (techcrunch.com) 35
In March, TechCrunch discovered Facebook planned to require advertisers pledge that they had permission to upload someone's phone number or email address for ad targeting. That tool debuted in June, though there was no verification process and Facebook just took businesses at their word despite the financial incentive to lie. In November, Facebook launched a way for ad agencies and marketing tech developers to specify who they were buying promotions "on behalf of." Soon that information will finally be revealed to users. From the report: Starting February 28th, Facebook's "Why am I seeing this?" button in the drop-down menu of feed posts will reveal more than the brand who paid for the ad, some biographical details they targeted, and if they'd uploaded your contact info. Facebook will start to show when your contact info was uploaded, if it was by the brand or one of their agency/developer partners, and when access was shared between partners. A Facebook spokesperson tells me the goal to keep giving people a better understanding of how advertisers use their information.
This new level of transparency could help users pinpoint what caused a brand to get ahold of their contact info. That might help them to change their behavior to stay more private. The system could also help Facebook zero in on agencies or partners who are constantly uploading contact info and might not have attained it legitimately. Apparently seeking not to dredge up old privacy problems, Facebook didn't publish a blog post about the change but simply announced it in a Facebook post to the Facebook Advertiser Hub Page.
This new level of transparency could help users pinpoint what caused a brand to get ahold of their contact info. That might help them to change their behavior to stay more private. The system could also help Facebook zero in on agencies or partners who are constantly uploading contact info and might not have attained it legitimately. Apparently seeking not to dredge up old privacy problems, Facebook didn't publish a blog post about the change but simply announced it in a Facebook post to the Facebook Advertiser Hub Page.
Useless (Score:5, Insightful)
You will see every listing of this be from a mysterious entity named
Benevolent offshore Cut-out corporation
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Simple solution ... (Score:4, Insightful)
They already have your info in a shadow account. So, you have the problem and no control over it.
Translation (Score:1)
"Lets look as though we are doing something meaningful for privacy before privacy gets imposed on us by government"
With the idea that in 6 months time "The idea, while good was not popular so development of this has stopped and the service will be removed in the near future"
Oh FFS, really? (Score:3)
"... there was no verification process and Facebook just took businesses at their word despite the financial incentive to lie. "
This is sleazy, even for Facebook, which is a pile of sleaze built on a foundation of sleaze by sleazy scumbags whose every waking moment is dedicated to finding even more sleazy ways to fuck you over.
Upload or download? (Score:1)
Re: (Score:2)
TFA says "uploaded" multiple times. Doesn't it seem like advertisers would download (not upload) your info from Facebook?
AFAIK, one of the advertising method available on facebook is that advertisers can upload a list of contact info (phone numbers, email addresses) to facebook, and facebook will match these info to their corresponding accounts, and voila, ads are served to you. I remember this when I review what facebook has on me, and they showed me which advertisers has my email address and upload them to facebook [facebook.com]
Technically they're hashed (at least w/Google...) (Score:2)
I'm not sure if it was Facebook or Google or both, you don't technically match on email address. They technically match on hashes of email addresses to protect your "privacy". Look out for that doublespeak when it comes to advertisers online...
Re: (Score:2)
I'm not sure if it was Facebook or Google or both, you don't technically match on email address. They technically match on hashes of email addresses to protect your "privacy". Look out for that doublespeak when it comes to advertisers online...
The point being discussed was whether advertisers download or upload. I'm simply pointing out that advertisers can upload as well
Why did that do that? (Score:2)
link blocked... (Score:1)
Deflection ... (Score:1)
The translated version:
Those sumbitches are getting data and not paying us for it. We'll get them and their little doggie, too.
Horse, barn door, wrong problem (Score:2)
The "Why am I seeing this?" What will I see "A friend uploaded your contact info to us" ? How da'fck do I stop other people from leaking my info?!?!?
I clicked the button "Dear FB - don't share my info" (actually - "You can't have my info") --- but apparently if a friend is willing to share my data, well that's okay. FB didn't get it from me.
The horse has left the barn. The Ad companies already have the data. Closing the door now doesn't solve the problem.
I actually have a different email address for