Facebook Privacy Reach

Wall Street Journal  revealed today that many of the top applications ("apps") on Facebook are actually devices for gathering and selling user data for third parties, namely advertising and internet tracking companies. In other words, every time one engages on Farmville or Texas Hold ´em poker, for example, the Big Brother is watching and recording. Or shall we say, the Ad Brother is.


Officially Facebook claims that no actual private data is compromised and that they are limiting the ad-and data collection companies´abilities to gain information. Thousands of applications are said to have been disabled for violating its policies. However,  it is hard to believe that Facebook itself did not know of the scope of this data mining in action. The growing number of applications are producing revenue for Facebook via virtual currency used in the games.
Data gathering seems to be so pervasive all around the internet these days, that one must ask, are we surprised of this news?

Facebook Privacy Reach