By Kelly Morton
Facebook.com has been entangled in controversy recently surrounding its partnership with the Beacon advertising system, which allows Facebook users to view what their friends purchased at other Web sites-such as Web sites for Blockbuster Video and Fandango movie tickets. Facebook.com announced Nov. 29 it would reverse its policy with respect to Beacon and allow users to decide whether or not they want to participate in the service. While The Miami Student editorial board feels this change is undoubtedly a step in the right direction, Facebook's reaction to the controversy is troublesome and their explanation of the advertising system in question is entirely insufficient.
It is important to point out that Beacon is certainly a brilliant marketing strategy.
Facebook has aggressively expanded since its inception and Facebook.com is no longer simply a social networking Web site solely for college students. The Web site has been opened to everyone and with millions of people-of all ages-now hooked.
Facebook users constantly log on to the site to see what their friends are doing, the scandalous dating gossip and to see the latest pictures from weekend-and their shopping habits are a logical extension of that mindset.
However Facebook has not illustrated how users previously agreed to participate in the Beacon system. The agreement seemed to be underhanded and masked behind paragraphs of legal jargon. This is not representative of the open, friendly Web site that many of us picture it to be.
And unfortunately, if the past is any indication, the future looks bleak for any move toward more openness and honesty. When the News Feed controversy led Facebook founder Mark Zuckerman to apologize publicly, Facebook continued to use the once-unpopular feature and the News Feed has become a permanent fixture of the site. The serious problem with the Beacon system was it was crossing private purchases on various Web sites with the information Facebook users want to be public for their friends to view.
Chronicling shopping habits, to this editorial board, seems to border on an invasion of privacy-yet the Facebook generation only has itself to blame. It is understandable that many Facebook users would be uncomfortable with their friends seeing where they purchasing but Facebook users should know by now that all content on the site should be considered in the public domain. Every Facebook user should assume anyone-parents, family, potential employers-can and will view photos and messages left on Facebook.
And now for many, this may include shopping purchases.
It seems as though Facebook.com also realizes this and is essentially telling users to deal with this invasion of privacy. It is this editorial board's desire to see www.facebook.com change its attitude or for users to stand up to Facebook's haughtiness-or at least read that fine print very, very carefully.
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