Facebook to Introduce a New Policy that Turns Users’ Data into Advertising

Facebook is about to draw fire from the privacy activists by unveiling a latest policy which could turn the data and pictures of users into advertising. The new plan is dramatically going to expand use of people’s personal information for the advertising purposes, as per letter to US Federal Trade Commission by 6 privacy organizations.

The letter read that the changes will violate a year 2011 consent order with a watchdog agency in US and also urged FTC to act for the enforcement of this order. As per the letter, if these changes are in place, Facebook users who think that their content and images will never be used commercially without their approval will now see their images on their friends’ pages validating the products from Facebook's paying advertisers.

Facebook users’ images may even be utilized by Facebook for the endorsement of products that the user dislikes or does not even use, according to the letter from CDD (Center for Digital Democracy), EPIC (Electronic Privacy Information Center), Consumer Watchdog and 3 other groups. Facebook revealed these updates as part of a class action suit on the usage of images and user names in their so-called 'sponsored stories.'

As per the letter, the existing policy of Facebook lets its users limit how their profile pictures and names can be linked with advertisements. Under the latest policy, Facebook states, 'You give us permission to use your name, profile picture, content, and information in connection with commercial, sponsored, or related content.'

The activists say that this policy will let Facebook turn virtually all the user data into the advertising. The privacy director at Consumer Watchdog, John Simpson said that Facebook has long played loose and fast with the data of users relying on complicated privacy settings in order to confuse the users, but these new changes go even beyond that.