Friday, November 30, 2007

Facebook Overhauls Controversial ‘Beacon’ Ad System; Users To Get More Control

Once again, Facebook is refining a controversial program that overstepped privacy bounds and drew negative reaction from tens of thousands of users. The social net provided opt-outs for ‘Beacon’ a program that turned users who shopped at certain outlets or used certain services into barkers. The pop-up window that informs a user that a third-party site action will be sent to Beacon has been changed; users need to click an “OK” button before the information is delivered and posted to Facebook. If the user does not act, the notification will go away until a future Beacon pop-up appears...also, Facebook has expanded the user help section that deals with Beacon, and links to it on every pop-up notification for the program. The backlash against Beacon illustrated the delicate balancing act that Facebook must negotiate as the company tries to cash in on its popularity without alienating the users fueling its success.
http://www.paidcontent.org/entry/419-facebook-overhauls-controversial-beacon-ad-system/

http://www.dmwmedia.com/news/2007/11/29/report%3A-facebook-may-abandon-%2526quot%3Bbeacon%2526quot%3B-marketing-feature

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