Tuesday, January 31, 2012

Facebook Users - You're Being Spied On

Facebook Users, beware. Your 'private' communications aren't private, and the information in them is being sold by Facebook.

Facebook is using something they call a 'sentiment analysis tool' to data mine all the various postings made by Facebook junkies. This tool can be tweaked to look for certain words or phrases, and report back findings. Those findings can be used by Facebook for whatever purpose they choose (you agreed to it when you signed up), including the sale of the information.

Facebook announced about a month ago, though not where most people would see it, that they are doing this with an eye towards the presidential race, and 'sharing' the information with Politico. Politico, a far left leaning 'internet news' outlet - is in reality a front for a bunch of left wing bloggers. I have not seen a breakdown of the financial arrangement. Politico then uses that information to support or disprove anything they want to say on their website, and there is nothing at all that prevents them from taking reported data and changing it to fit their political views.

The ACLU has come out and argued against this, strangely enough. Given their far left wing leanings, I am surprised that they would publicly attack something that is intended to further far left wing ambitions.

Just remember folks - anything you put onto the internet becomes public property, whether you want it to or not. Information you think is 'private' actually belongs to companies like Facebook, and Google - and they can do anything they want to with it.

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