RSS 2.0Be Careful What You Post!
I have to be honest – the email’s subject line caught my attention: “Creepy Ways Your Social Media Data Can Be Used.” Posted on E-Commerce News a few days ago, the article outlines how some companies are starting to collect information about consumers by using information posted on social networking sites like Facebook and MySpace.
To better understand how advertisers and other companies are using the information that resides on your Facebook page, the article quotes Craig Wills, a professor of computer science at Worcester Polytechnic Institute.
Wills states that “by and large, these companies are rarely able to connect a specific individual with the online surfing habits they so eagerly collect.”
Wills claims that has now changed. Quoting from the article: “Until recently … they [companies] were able to collect only data that was anonymous and aggregated. The social networking sites provided the missing link – establishing who is reading what news at CNN, for example, or who’s buying what at Amazon.”
There are legal issues, of course. And, apparently, there are at least two laws working through Congress to advocate for consumer rights. But for now, it continues to remain wise to watch out what you post on your social networks.
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