Facebook Beacon: Time to Start Asking Questions

This afternoon, Peter Kafka proposed how to solve the Facebook Beacon issue. In order to solve a problem, you first need to assume that a problem exists. I for one, think that there is somewhat of a problem that exists. The problem is not Facebook Beacon though. The real issue is privacy. The web has forced upon us a new system in which you can be completely transparent or completely closed off.Â Fortunately there are some areas that reside in between but that area is for those that understand the tools they are using and have some common sense. Ultimately, I have no idea how the Facebook Beacon situation is going to end up but what I do know is that Facebook is at the forefront of testing the limits of individuals' privacy. This is a delicate issue and I'm starting to believe that it may in fact be a dangerous one. At what point do we really say enough is enough? Ultimately we have the ability to turn off the computer, put down the video camera or turn off any other technology that can be used to monitor ourselves.Â Â The issue becomes blurry though when it comes toÂ those that don'tÂ understand the technology that they are using. If my mom goes and makes a purchase at Amazon.com and her purchase, is there a guarantee that it won't show up in my newsfeed? Currently there isn't. There is also the chance that my mom didn't choose to not have the purchase displayed. While Chris Kelly, Facebook's Chief Privacy Officer, says that a box appears after individuals make a purchase, that box can disappear. I have already spoken with a number of individuals who have made purchases and the box didn't show up (or at least they didn't see it). If you make a purchase, don't see the Facebook alert notification and suddenly your friends are notified, is that acceptable? This accidental problem is going to be one that Facebook will be forced to resolve whether they like it or not. Peter Kafka suggests making the entire system opt-in. I'm not quite sure that will work but I'm also not sure what will. We are witnessing a test of individuals' privacy limits and there are a few people that (as I have interpreted) are telling others to basically sit down and shut up. This will blow over they say. While I don't necessarily think that Facebook's Beacon program is the ultimate test of individual privacy, I do believe that we are rapidly moving in a direction where some of us need to stand up and ask where the line will be drawn. While I will not suggest where that line falls in this post, we do need to figure it out. Otherwise we will sit down and watch someone else make that decision for us, the same way we so frequently (in this country at least) allow others to make major decisions that we aren't happy with. The implications of a lack of privacy are significant and slightly frightening. For Facebook Beacon, I think the question is: does this really makes our life better? Facebook in general has made most of our lives better. We all love connecting. Developers have enjoyed developing. Now marketers can enjoy marketing ... in a pretty controversial way. Is this something that you want?Â Ultimately, the users can decide.

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Facebook Beacon: Time to Start Asking Questions

Nick O'Neill

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Nick O'Neill