How To Stop Facebook From Tracking You
Samantha Felix writes at Business Insider/Yahoo Finance:
Most people don't realize that Facebook can continue to monitor their internet activity, even if they are no longer logged into the site.Using "Facebook Connect," and other social plug-ins, Facebook is able to set up a cookie on any site that has a "Like" or "share" button, giving Facebook access to a startling amount of user information. Technically, the purpose of these plug-ins is to authenticate users, but it still has the ability to collect personal information such as the IP address of your computer, browsing data, outside login information, phone numbers, etc.
The cookie, known as the "datr" cookie, has been a controversial topic for the past year. Using this cookie, among other things, Facebook knows what you have read on a web page even if you did not click the "like" button. As the Wall Street Journal reported, "for this to work, a person only needs to have logged into Facebook or Twitter once in the past month. The sites will continue to collect browsing data, even if the person closes their browser or turns off their computers."
To help users control how and when their information is tracked and distributed, companies such as Abine and Ghostery have developed tools that allow users to block Facebook social plug-ins, cookies, and other trackers.
As Business Insider previously reported, Abine's DNT+ tool is a FREE add-on that monitors, tracks, and allows users to block any trackers and requests that may be following their internet activity. It is compatible with MAC or PC for Chrome, Firefox, Safari, and Internet Explorer. It is currently able to block more than 600 trackers, and automatically updates to catch new trackers.
More: 10 Things Online Data Collectors Won't Say.
The latest rev of the Facebook app for Droid gives the program access to change contact lists, etc, and Pinterest even claims the right to use any photo you've uploaded without restriction. Neither are on my iPhone or Nexus now, even though iOS 6 apparently allows you to monitor which programs call other apps on your phone.
They're monitoring themselves right out of an audience. More on why can be found at CJ Cherryh's page or Web site.
Radwaste at September 22, 2012 7:01 AM
Do not forget to check your apps page ans settings once in a while, to see what is leaking.
I had shared this link with you before, but worth posting again.
http://mypermissions.org/
Lots of good and free software that will help protect your security. Just have to make the effort.
John Paulson at September 22, 2012 7:07 AM
I've been using Ghostery for a while now. As well as AdBlock Plus. Both free add ons for Firefox. You want to see a different view of the net -- fire them up.
I also don't have a Twitter, Google+ or FB account. Don't want any of them either.
Jim P. at September 22, 2012 7:25 AM
The only networking site I use is LinkedIn -- and after setting everything to 'Private' last year, I did a routine check recently and found all my settings undone, making me essentially public again.
Not happy.
Gog_Magog_Carpet_Reclaimers at September 22, 2012 9:27 AM
Since the beginning of the Web, people have been looking for ways to do cross-domain tracking, even though the standards for cookies going back to HTML 1.0 have always disallowed it. I'm going to have to look into these plug-ins a bit more; I'm curious about how they work.
Damn near every Facebook application now asks you to give it essentially unlimited permissions, including permission to collect anything you post anywhere, and permission to publish posts under your name. The result is that I have no Facebook apps enabled anymore. Why exactly does the birthday calendar need to be able to post under my name?
Cousin Dave at September 22, 2012 10:10 AM
I have a very simple solution - I don't use facebook.
Assholio at September 22, 2012 12:43 PM
This stuff makes me glad to be a near-Luddite.
Pricklypear at September 22, 2012 12:51 PM
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