Many popular Facebook applications transmit identifying information to advertising and Internet-tracking companies in breach of users’ privacy rights. The issue affects millions of Facebook users, even those who have their privacy settings set as strictly as possible.
An investigation conducted by the Wall Street Journal has found that companies receiving the private information build detailed databases based on people’s personal information in order to track them online. As of now, it remains unclear how long these breaches have been occurring.
The most popular Facebook applications are the very culprits that have been accused of releasing private information to outside companies. These applications include, among others, FarmVille, Texas HoldEm, MafiaWars, and FrontierVille. All of these applications have been transmitting private information to corporations, according to the Wall Street Journal.
The information that is being taken includes the user’s "Facebook ID," a unique number given to each Facebook account. The ID number allows an account to be looked up without any knowledge of the user’s name. The applications identified by the Wall Street Journal were sending ID numbers to at least 25 advertising and data firms. Worse, the companies have not only been taking information regarding the user, but the user’s Facebook "friends" as well.
Those who support the online trafficking (mainly the companies who do it) claim that the trafficking has no ill effects because it is completely anonymous. However, according to the Wall Street Journal, Facebook expressly prohibits application software developers from transmitting information about users, including their ID numbers. The rule provides that even if a user agrees to have his or her information transmitted, the application is unequivocally prohibited from sending any personal information to any company.
Questions abound whether Facebook knew of this infringement and simply believed itself protected because its "rule" was in place and the breaches were committed by a third party.
If you incurred damages as a result of the alleged privacy infringement on Facebook, please contact us to discuss your legal options.