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Monday, October 18, 2010

Facebook Caught Up in Apps Privacy Breach

Many Facebook applications share users' personal information with advertising networks and other Internet-tracking companies, according to a Wall Street Journal report. Facebook said Sunday, however, that the Journal is exaggerating the problem and that Facebook is working to put an end to any inadvertent data sharing.

The problem affects tens of millions of Facebook's 500 million users, the Journal said, and all of the social-networking site's top 10 apps. At issue are Facebook user IDs (UID), a number that is assigned to every Facebook user that can be used to look up your name, the Journal said. It might also reveal age, location, occupation, and photos, depending on your privacy settings.

The news comes five months after sites like Facebook and MySpace fixed a glitch that allowed advertising partners to see user ID information. Specifically, advertising partners might receive user names or ID numbers tied to member's personal profiles if that member clicked on an ad within Facebook or MySpace.

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